Charlotte Observer: Anthony Foxx ’93 Joins Lyft As Chief Policy Officer
Anthony Foxx '93, former U.S. Secretary of Transportation and mayor of Charlotte, has a new gig.
Foxx announced in a post on "Medium" that he will serve as chief policy officer for Lyft, the world's second-largest ride-sharing company. He also will serve as advisor to the company's co-founders.
In his post, Foxx outlined how his experience in government at both the municipal and federal levels gives him a unique perspective on cities' rapidly evolving transportation needs.
However, he also offered a deeply personal reason for joining Lyft. He recounts riding with his grandparents as they drove across town to get fresh groceries at three different stores, bypassing the neighborhood stores that sold "moldy meat and seafood."
"We were lucky to have a car," he writes. "I saw so many nearby families who did not. How much more discretionary money might my family have had if we never owned a car — if there had been a way to pay for the trips they needed instead of the car itself?"
Lyft, he says, will make transportation safer, easier and more accessible.
"This future is within our grasp but it will not happen on its own," Foxx says. "It will be the product of business and government working together."
