Fred Cartwright serves as the president and CEO of Conexus Indiana. He has always been on the leading edge of innovation and brings more than 38 years of experience in automotive technology commercialization, business development, public/private partnerships and talent development to his role as Conexus Indiana.

An Indiana native, Cartwright graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and from Butler University with a master’s degree in business administration. He began his career with Allison Transmission, where he developed the original business case for hybrid powertrains and led the development and production approval for transit buses. He continued at General Motors for 10 years where he held numerous high-profile positions in Detroit and Europe focusing on advanced technology and collaborations with automotive manufacturers in the United States and Europe.

In 2013, Cartwright became executive director of the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) in Greenville, S.C., which is a 250-acre, $250 million advanced-technology research campus where education, research and economic development collaborate to create a global venue for the automotive industry. As executive director, he led multiple growth initiatives, including a $25 million partnership in advanced manufacturing workforce development and research, called the Center for Manufacturing Innovation, with Greenville Technical College. He led the growth of CU-ICAR, as an economic development engine for the Greenville area, by recruiting new companies and research to the campus and the creation of a $25 million multi-tenant co-working environment, called One Research Drive.

Cartwright lives in Indianapolis with his wife, Beth Kay, and has two grown children who are early in their careers in the high-tech fields of advanced logistics and driverless truck technologies.