Charlie Tyson - Business Engagement and Economic Development

Charlie Tyson is the Technology Activation Director for Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility & Electrification (OFME). Launched in early 2020, the office works across state government, academia, and private industry to enhance Michigan’s mobility ecosystem, including developing dynamic mobility and electrification policies and supporting the startup and scale up of emerging technologies and businesses. 

In his role, Charlie develops and nurtures relationships with key mobility and technology stakeholders, including corporates, startups, investors, academia, municipalities, and government agencies. Through his work with OFME, Charlie connects emerging mobility companies to Michigan’s advanced transportation industry through testing and pilot opportunities, matchmaking engagements, and public-private partnerships. 

As OFME’s Technology Activation Director, Charlie plays an integral role in the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform, a grant program to assist local and global companies in deploying, validating, and scaling their technology addressing challenges related to the movement of people and goods by air, land, or sea. In addition to curating real-world deployments addressing industry and community mobility challenges, Charlie oversees OFME’s network of test site partners who offer key capabilities to prove out early-stage technologies in a confined environment. 

Charlie, an NMU graduate, majoring in Marketing and minoring in Spanish, spent time with Invent@NMU. Charlie was a project manager for Invent, and it was there that he first became interested in economic development and found a passion for supporting entrepreneurship. He credits Invent@NMU for allowing students to gain valuable experience out of the classroom.

In his free time, Charlie enjoys traveling, being active outdoors with his dog, and spending time along the Great Lakes.