Revolving Door – Steven Croley Now Ford Chief Policy Officer

At Latham & Watkins Croley assisted clients with legal policy and regulatory compliance.

Ford Motor has appointed former U.S. federal lawyer Steven Croley to become its chief policy officer and general counsel. In revolving door Washington, Croley has been a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Latham & Watkins*. From 2014 to 2017, he served as general counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy.  Croley spent the previous four years in the White House, first as special assistant to President Obama for regulatory policy, then as deputy counsel overseeing legal policy.

The new policy leadership role was initiated last October when Jim Farley became CEO and announced organizational changes. Croley will report to Farley and work with Jon Huntsman, a member of the Ford board of directors who in April was appointed vice chair, Policy, an internal senior advisory role to Farley and Executive Chair Bill Ford. (Ford Motor Changes CEO from Jim Hackett to Jim Farley)

John Mellen, who postponed his planned retirement from Ford a year ago to take on the role of general counsel, will conclude his remarkable career with the company on Sept. 1, following transition of his legal responsibilities to Croley.

“For 40 years, John has helped safeguard our customers, our company and our people with his sharp legal expertise, sound judgment and principled approach,” said Farley. “We deeply appreciate John’s leadership over the past year as our general counsel and a member of our executive leadership team.”

Mitch Bainwol, Ford’s chief government relations officer, and Bob Holycross, vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering – both company officers – will report to Croley.  So will Rebecca Pagani, who is joining Ford from Amazon on July 12 as chief privacy officer

*As a member of the Latham & Watkins’ litigation and trial department, Croley assisted clients with legal policy and regulatory compliance, with emphasis on energy and the environment. Previously, 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 did his undergraduate work at U-M, earned his law degree from Yale University, and holds a doctorate in government from Princeton University.