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Anthony Foxx, former transportation secretary, joins Lyft as chief policy officer

Foxx will also act as a senior advisor to Lyft's president and CEO.

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Transportation Secretary Foxx Testifies To Senate Committee On The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act
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Transportation Secretary Foxx Testifies To Senate Committee On The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act

Then-Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx testifies to Congress regarding implementation of the FAST (Fixing America's Surface Transportation) Act in 2016.

 Mark Wilson/Getty Images

When it comes to navigating the murky waters of policy, it helps to have an expert in the ranks.

Anthony Foxx, the former secretary of transportation under President Obama, announced in a Medium post that he is joining the ride-hailing giant Lyft as its chief policy officer. He will also advise the company's president and CEO.

Foxx's Medium post outlines his reasons for joining Lyft. He points out that as secretary of transportation, he dealt with mobility's growing pains on a daily basis. He also helped establish the Smart City Challenge, which gave a $50 million grant to the winner (Columbus, Ohio) to improve its transit options. Foxx also touted his time as mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, where he dealt with more locally based transit issues, as well.

"[Lyft] remains at the forefront of meeting our nation's comprehensive mobility needs, but works hard to do so in partnership with key stakeholders," Foxx said in his blog post. "They recognize the extent to which the Lyft platform can bring people together while connecting us to the places we go. They have built an amazing team, and they believe, as I do, that this work, if done well, can lead to a better world."

When he was secretary of transportation, Foxx expressed concern for the future of transportation. In addition to establishing the Smart City Challenge, Foxx helped create a committee on vehicle automation in 2017, which focused on helping bring self-driving vehicles to market safely and smoothly. It's unclear what Foxx has in store at Lyft, but if his previous efforts are any indication, there'll be a strong focus on reducing congestion and improving transit options beyond the passenger car.