Foxx was nominated to the position of Secretary of Transportation by President Barack Obama in April 2013.[3][4] He went on to be confirmed in a 100–0 vote in June 2013.[5][6] Upon taking office, he became the youngest Cabinet secretary serving at the time.[7] After leaving office, Foxx joined rideshare company Lyft as chief policy officer in 2018.[8] Foxx left his role as chief policy officer in October 2021, but continued to serve as an advisor to the company.[9]
In 2001, he returned to Charlotte to work as a business litigator for Hunton & Williams.[12] While a member of the city council, he retained his position as a litigator at Hunton & Williams, switching to part-time status.[citation needed]
Foxx was first elected to the Charlotte City Council in 2005 to an at-large seat, and was re-elected in 2007. He won election as Charlotte's 54th and youngest mayor in 2009 and was re-elected in 2011; he became the city's first Democratic mayor since Harvey Gantt left office in 1987.[citation needed]
Upon becoming mayor, Foxx faced Charlotte's worst recession in more than 80 years. As the nation's second largest financial services center, the city lost more than 25,000 jobs in the recession. Foxx reformed the city's public safety pay plan and developed a demand-driven approach to workforce development that has become a national model.[15] Foxx also announced the creation of more than 4,000 new jobs. He hosted a series of town hall meetings with unemployed workers, pushed for changes to the city's small business loan program, and pressed White House officials for economic recovery spending measures.[citation needed]
From a transportation perspective, Foxx helped salvage the city's largest single capital project: The Blue Line Extension, which was threatened by lower than anticipated sales tax revenue.[16]
On April 29, 2013, President Barack Obama announced that he would nominate Foxx to the post of the Secretary of Transportation. On June 27, 2013, the Senate confirmed the nomination by a unanimous vote.[5] Foxx resigned from his elected position as mayor to accept the federal appointment.[17]
Foxx prepared and advocated for the Obama administration's first surface transportation bill, the Grow America Act, in 2014,[18][19] and worked to get its congressional incarnation, the FAST Act, passed.[20] He consolidated the department's financing programs and accelerated permitting policies.[21] Foxx also put forth new rules governing the commercial use of drones,[22] blueprinted a comprehensive national policy on autonomous vehicles,[23] and launched the Department's first Smart City Challenge, engaging more than 70 cities to develop their own strategies to incorporate new technologies into their transportation networks.[24]
Foxx joined Lyft in October 2018 as the company's chief policy officer.[27] In that role, he advocated for California's Proposition 22, which excluded gig workers from receiving benefits like minimum wage, health care and the right to organize, which are normally afforded to employees.[28] He stepped down from the chief policy officer role in October 2021, but he remained with Lyft as a senior advisor.[29]
Foxx joined the faculty of the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University's school of public policy and government, in September 2023 as Emma Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership.[32] In January 2024, it was announced that Foxx would succeed former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick as co-director of the Kennedy School's Center for Public Leadership. He is set to take over the role in July 2024.[33]
^ abcdHarrison, Steve (October 18, 2009). "Anthony Foxx, Democrat - Describes Himself as Mediator, Ready to Speak Out on Issues". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1A.
^ abcRubin, Richard (September 29, 2005). "Grandfather's Lessons Pay Off for City Council Contender - Grandson of Stalwart of Democratic Party Leads Primary At-Large Ticket". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1B.
^McCammond, Alexi (June 15, 2022). "Scoop: Keisha Lance Bottoms to join White House". Axios. Retrieved May 9, 2023. As Axios previously reported, Biden had at one point been considering former Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx as Richmond's successor.
