Ride-hailing company Lyft has hired John Maddox, the founding CEO of the American Center for Mobility in Michigan, for a key new regulatory role.
Maddox will serve the San Francisco-based company in the newly created position of senior director of autonomous safety and compliance.
He left ACM, a publicly and privately funded advanced automotive technology test site in Ypsilanti Township, Mich., in August after more than two years as its top executive amid a shakeup of its top officials. Andrew Smart, chief technology officer, and COO Laurel Champion exited the nonprofit in the months before Maddox's departure.
Kirk Steudle, former director of the Michigan Department of Transportation, is currently serving as interim-CEO at ACM.
At Lyft, Maddox will lead an entire new division focused on safety and compliance within the company's policy, legal and self-driving operation efforts, the company said in a press release. He will be based at Lyft's San Francisco offices.
"I've dedicated my career to advancing safe mobility technologies," Maddox said in a press release. "Joining Lyft is a continuation of that effort, and I'm excited to be part of such a talented and energized team that's leading the way in redefining the automotive industry and future of transportation."
Prior to joining ACM in 2016, Maddox served as the assistant director of the University of Michigan Mobility Transformation Center, aiding in the university's efforts to launch its own research-driven connected and autonomous vehicle test track called M-City.
He was also the associate administrator of vehicle safety research for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration between 2008 and 2012 and a compliance officer at Volkswagen AG in North America.
Maddox earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland and a master's in engineering and business management at University of Detroit Mercy.
