Ford taps former Obama administration official as general counsel, chief policy officer

Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday said it has hired former U.S. federal lawyer and Obama administration official Steven Croley as its chief policy officer and general counsel.

Ford's hiring of Croley — the husband of Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack — comes amid a push to execute the company's new growth plan. It also comes as the Blue Oval aims to successfully navigate the transition to electrified and digitally-connected vehicles amid tightening government environmental regulations and President Joe Biden's plans looks to reshape transportation and climate policy.

Croley, 55, who joins the company July 12, will work in areas including government relations, sustainability, safety, legal and privacy, according to a news release. He'll report to CEO Jim Farley and work closely with Jon Huntsman, a member of Ford's board of directors who in April was tapped to serve as a special advisor to Farley and Executive Chair Bill Ford.

Croley's "background will be invaluable as we partner with governments and others to speed development of breakthrough products and services that help give people more freedom to move and pursue their dreams," Farley said in a statement.

Croley replaces John Mellen, who had postponed his retirement after a decades-long career at Ford a year ago to serve as general counsel. Mellen will stay on to assist with the transition until Sept. 1.

Mitch Bainwol, Ford's chief government relations officer, and Bob Holycross, who heads up sustainability, environment and safety engineering, will report to Croley.

Also among his direct reports will be Rebecca Pagani, who is joining the Dearborn automaker from Amazon.com, Inc. July 12 as chief privacy officer. Pagani served as senior corporate counsel at Amazon, advising on issues and policy tied to e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming and artificial intelligence businesses, according to a news release.

Most recently, Croley worked as a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of law firm Latham & Watkins. There, he was a member of the litigation and trial department, assisting clients with legal policy and regulatory compliance with an emphasis on energy and the environment.

From 2014 to 2017, he served as general counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy. And prior to that, he spent four years in the White House, first as a special assistant to President Barack Obama for regulatory policy, then as deputy counsel overseeing legal policy.

Earlier in his career, Croley was a special assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan's civil division and a professor, then associate dean, at the University of Michigan Law School.

He graduated from the University of Michigan then went on to earn his law degree from Yale University. He also has a doctorate in government from Princeton University.

jgrzelewski@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @JGrzelewski