We Are
on a mission
The future world of mobility is unformed. It’s undefined. We have an amazing and unprecedented opportunity to define the future of mobility for future generations and for the future of Toyota. To go where others have not. To be brave, bold, inspired, and to deliver memorable customer mobility experiences that will define the future of mobility.
Who We Are
Transforming Toyota
Toyota Connected North America leads the development of Toyota’s cloud-based digital Connected Mobility Intelligence Platform in addition to the telematics services platform that powers Toyota Safety Connect. We are a company primarily made up of software engineers, data scientists, and designers who have a passion for driving innovation in mobility, safety, and convenience services.
Based in Plano, Texas, Toyota Connected is leading the transformation of Toyota’s transition from an automotive to a mobility company. We use technology and ethical artificial intelligence to transform how people interact with their vehicles and to provide predictive and contextual services that anticipate our drivers' needs.
Our Core Values
01
Transform the Customer Experience
Our customer is the most important stakeholder. Consider the customers' needs at every step.
02
Kaikaku
Push the boundaries of what's possible. Seek transformational change, both in your work and in yourself. Never be satisfied with the status quo.
03
Own It
Step up & give your best. See the opportunities and take action. Make smart business decisions.
04
Love What You Do
Hone your craft. Be passionate about your work. Have fun & treat your coworkers like family.
Meet our Leadership
James George
President and CEO
James George
President and CEO
James George serves as president and CEO of TCNA in addition to serving on TCNA’s board of directors. He has served in leadership roles with TCNA since 2019.
As president and CEO, George is responsible for guiding and executing strategy for the company’s role as a software center of excellence. He is also vice president, Corporate Development and Partnerships at Toyota Motor North America.
George, who joined Toyota in 2007, has held multiple roles across the organization in strategic planning, research, marketing and leadership. He was named as a 2020 Automotive News “Rising Star.” He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Loyola Marymount University and his Master of Business Administration from Georgetown University.
Masahiro Nakano
Chief Administrative Officer
Masahiro Nakano
Chief Administrative Officer
Masahiro Nakano is the chief administrative officer of Toyota Connected North America (TCNA) as well as Vice President, Enterprise Strategy and Solutions and Vice President, Connected Technologies at Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). Nakano is also on TCNA’s board of directors.
Nakano joined Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) in 2006. Most recently he served as Department General Manager in the Digital Information and Communications Group, where he oversaw the global deployment of connected services with a focus on newly emerging markets.
He also served as Executive Vice President for Toyota’s joint venture with DiDi, focused on providing full service leased vehicles to ride-hailing drivers. He later served as a Director at Toyota Motor China Investment leading to an establishment of Toyota joint venture with Pony.ai, a robotaxi fleet.
Dave Tsai
Chief Technology Officer
Dave Tsai
Chief Technology Officer
As one of TCNA’s founding members, Dave has led the organization by scaling telematics solutions, helping bring TCNA’s telematics platform from a third party to in-house, servicing more than 2 million new vehicles annually. He has created processes for TCNA that guide how it operates, from its inception as just a handful of employees to more than 400 team members today. He has created go-to-market UX solutions for enrollment in connected services and holds six patents for UX and scaled automation testing and fleet deployment. In his TMNA role, Tsai leads the democratization of AI across every part of the organization. He chartered the division with the goal of enabling Toyota team members to harness the power AI to supercharge productivity.
Prior to working with TCNA, Tsai served as an enterprise architect and worked in TMNA’s applications engineering during the early era of telematics development. He had previously served an engineering program manager at Facebook. Tsai earned his bachelor’s degree in Information & Computer Science from the University of California, Irvine.
Mark McClung
Chief Operating Officer
Mark McClung
Chief Operating Officer
Mark McClung is chief operating officer at Toyota Connected North America, where he helps lead Toyota’s evolution in the mobility space by bridging the gap between ideation and implementation of industry-changing experiences. McClung brings a deep understanding of the dealer business and marketing to his position.
Prior to working with TCNA, McClung served in business development and product marketing roles within Toyota Motor North America, including work on the hydrogen fuel-cell-powered Toyota Mirai and development of Toyota’s connected vehicle business strategy.
McClung has also served in regional marketing and sales roles with Hyundai and Mazda, gaining a holistic perspective of all stakeholders along the vehicle sales funnel. McClung earned his bachelor of business administration in Marketing and Advertising from Marshall University.
Jennifer Brown
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer and Chief People Officer
Jennifer Brown
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer and Chief People Officer
Jennifer Brown serves as deputy chief administrative officer, chief people officer and vice president at Toyota Connected North America. She is responsible for leading and executing the strategy for a variety of functions that cultivate and enhance TCNA’s rich culture. This includes Talent Services and People Operations, which are crucial for attracting and retaining the talent needed to enable TCNA’s business objectives, as well as office administration, facilities and internal relations.
Brown has spent much of her career in human resources in the automotive industry, including Toyota, Honda and OEM suppliers. She also worked with Citigroup prior to joining TCNA.
Brown earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and has earned certifications as a Senior Professional in Human Resources and in mediation.
Mike Cross
Chief Financial Officer
Mike Cross
Chief Financial Officer
Mike Cross serves as TCNA’s chief financial officer, responsible for overseeing all financial aspects of the company, including reporting, strategic planning, capital allocation, risk mitigation & controls, taxes and audits. Cross has built a career in global companies, including Hewlett Packard, as well as technology startups, specializing in hardware, software, telematics, e-commerce, digital advertising and the financial services industries. Cross is a finance professional who understands the power of technology, the importance of good data, tools and controls and developing amazing teams to help drive business growth and profitability.
At TCNA, Cross is most proud of helping to develop and lead a world-class finance and accounting team of problem solvers that is focused on the Toyota philosophy of “kaizen,” continuous improvement.
Cross earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Iowa with a minor in Japanese and his MBA from Loyola University of Chicago. Cross was named as a 2023 CFO of the Year honoree by the Dallas Business Journal.
Nilay Dave
General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
Daniel Hall
Chief Commercial Strategy Officer
Daniel Hall
Chief Commercial Strategy Officer
Daniel Hall serves as TCNA’s chief commercial strategy officer. In this role, Hall is tasked with expanding TCNA’s value with Toyota partners, both in North America and globally. This includes securing an enhanced role in future generations of multimedia, connected mobility and new spaces that benefit from TCNA’s product and technical strengths.
From 2022 until early 2024, Hall served as the UX director, AI Experience Infrastructure, in addition to helping shape user journeys with flagship products at Google. Prior to then, Hall had served several important roles within TCNA, Toyota Motor North America and Toyota Motor Corporation.
In his previous Toyota roles, Hall helped shape the original TCNA UX team from the ground up, which led to creation of the Toyota Audio Multimedia and Lexus Interface systems found in nearly all new Toyota and Lexus vehicles currently sold in North America. Hall was instrumental in helping define the Connected Car User Experience and ensured collaboration with global partners.
He and his family reside in the Dallas Metroplex.
Ryan Wheeler
Vice President of Engineering, Machine Learning
Shravanthi Denthumdas
Vice President of Engineering, Mobility Data & Emerging Technologies
Shravanthi Denthumdas
Vice President of Engineering, Mobility Data & Emerging Technologies
Shravanthi Denthumdas serves as vice president of Engineering, Mobility and Emerging Technologies at Toyota Connected North America, where she leads product development and innovation for various data-driven intelligent solutions.
Her teams have pioneered innovations by harnessing the power of data, AI, connectivity and cutting-edge software to develop solutions to enhance vehicle or fleet ownership experience, brand engagement and other aspects. Additionally, she is responsible for leading Emerging Technologies teams to augment vehicle purchase and ownership in addition to keeping Toyota organizations focused on today’s trends and tomorrow’s vision for a frictionless customer experience. She is also very passionate about fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, continuous learning and attracting top talent to help build and grow Toyota Connected.
Denthumdas has been with TCNA since 2018 and had previously worked in software and IT consulting and corporate strategy. She earned her master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Houston. Denthumdas was recognized as a 2023 Dallas Business Journal “40 Under 40” standout as well as a Reuters Events 2024 “Trailblazing Woman in Automotive.”
Lucas Smith
Director of Technology and Delivery
Lucas Smith
Director of Technology and Delivery
Lucas Smith is the director of Technology and Delivery at Toyota Connected North America, where he leads planning and delivery support functions for engineering teams as they deliver infotainment products, connected platforms, and global vehicle services. He also oversees Toyota Connected’s involvement in Global AI R&D activities and Information Technology to ensure consistent operational standards, modernized capabilities and cohesive support across the enterprise.
Prior to joining Toyota in 2018, Lucas worked as an engineer and manager in the aerospace and defense industries for Boeing, where he specialized in embedded software development, systems engineering, digital signal processing and helped lead adoption of agile and modern development practices.
Smith earned his bachelor of science in Computer Engineering from Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University and his master’s in Telecommunications from George Mason University and is a Licensed Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) through Scrum.org.
Kyle Arenholz
Director of Product
Kyle Arenholz
Director of Product
Kyle Arenholz is director of product for Toyota Connected North America. In his role, he oversees the product and innovation support functions to strategically connect our product roadmap to our customers’ needs, helping drive continued collaboration and delivery of exceptional software experiences.
Prior to that, he was responsible for Toyota Connected’s mobility data services including telemetry products, electric vehicle range enhancements and managed charging programs, and predictive maintenance services.
Before joining the company, Arenholz spent more than a decade at automotive supplier DENSO in the Sales, Marketing and Business Development departments. During his time there, he also completed two long-term international assignments in Germany and Japan.
Arenholz graduated from the University of Northern Iowa where he studied International Business.
Kevin O'Dell
Executive Director, Out-Car and Engineering Shared Services
Kevin O'Dell
Executive Director, Out-Car and Engineering Shared Services
Kevin O’Dell is the executive director of Out-Car and Engineering Shared Services for Toyota Connected North America. In this role, O’Dell oversees the cohesive strategy and direction of TCNA’s Mobility and Drivelink teams. He is also responsible for cloud engineering, developer experience and financial operations to support shared software practices and scalable developer experiences across Toyota’s global engineering network.
The Mobility team supports Toyota and Lexus Service Connect, which provides drivers with personalized maintenance updates and vehicle health reports. Drivelink is the telematics platform that powers Toyota and Lexus Safety Connect, a critical feature that connects drivers to first responders during emergencies.
Prior to TCNA, O’Dell worked at State Farm, where he was a software engineer, solutions architect, technology manager and director.
O’Dell earned his bachelor of science in business administration with a focus on Information Systems from Illinois State University, where he also played NCAA baseball for the Redbirds.
Chris Casey
Executive Director of UX/UI
Chris Casey
Executive Director of UX/UI
Chris Casey is the executive director of UX/UI at Toyota Connected North America and the digital cockpit software development lead at Toyota Motor North America. He is responsible for leading the design team for infotainment and displays as well as global software development for Toyota and Lexus vehicles. The team’s efforts can be found in the Toyota Audio Multimedia and Lexus Interface systems introduced for select 2022 and newer vehicles.
Casey and his teams work across the global Toyota enterprise to design and develop intuitive interfaces that simplify users’ experiences, support consistent software quality and integration, and champion future innovations with the ultimate goal of improving customer satisfaction.
Prior to joining TCNA, Casey specialized in mobile application design and development at a variety of companies and startups, transitioning into digital vehicle cockpit design and development. Chris attended the University of Texas at Dallas.
Randy Kaushek
Director, Enterprise Engagement
Randy Kaushek
Director, Enterprise Engagement
Randy Kaushek is director of Enterprise Engagement at Toyota Connected North America (TCNA). He leads a team focused on aligning Toyota’s advanced engineering capabilities with customer priorities, while driving future-oriented innovation and strategic growth in partnership with Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) and Toyota Motor Corporation.
Since 2020, Randy has also played a key role in Toyota’s Autono-MaaS program, helping to shape the company’s North American strategy for Level 4 autonomous vehicle partnerships and the development of its robotaxi business.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Financial Management from the University of New Mexico. Based in Orange County, CA, Randy is an avid mountain biker and enjoys spending time with his family and friends.
Across 4 continents
Part of something bigger
If we only see the world through our regional roles, we will not be successful. We have an opportunity to deliver Kaikaku. Real transformation that can transform the future for our customers and for Toyota. This requires us to think on a global scale.
Transcending national borders, Toyota Connected provides connected mobility intelligence services in six countries.
CAREERS
good work
Our employees build technology that empowers people to move, and makes their lives easier and safer. It’s all in a day’s work at Toyota Connected. Want to join us?
- Great compensation & benefits
- Cutting edge technology and projects
- World-class colleagues
- Work that impacts million
