Ford revamps Washington team as Biden heads to White House – Detroit Free Press

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Curt Magleby,top lobbyist for Ford Motor Co. in Washington, D.C., is retiring after 32 years with the company on Dec. 31 just as the industry prepares for a new administration amid unprecedented transformation to all-electric vehicles.

He went from Exxon petroleum engineer to financial analyst for the electronics division at the Ford Rawsonville plant in 1988.

I still remember I had my Audi 4000 I had bought in California, Magleby, 61, told The Hill news. As a new MBA, you get there early, you park in front and you try to do all the things right. I remember, it was about like day three, and one of my colleagues came up and said, Curt, you might want to park the car in the other parking lot.

Curt Magleby, top lobbyist for Ford Motor Co. in Washington, D.C., will retire at the end of 2020 after 32 years.(Photo: Ford Motor Co.)

His hard work and commitmentled to international assignments that included oversight ofdaily plant operations in Mexico and, eventually, the top lobbyist spot in 2011.

In the new year, Laura Dove, a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, will step in andmanage Ford's federalgovernment affairs team in Washington.She started at Ford in May as director of transportation policy after working as the Secretary for the Majority.

Every Republican senator has counted on Laura to listen to our goals and concerns and help translate them into action on the Senate floor,McConnell, R-Kentucky,told Politico in February. She is a keen strategist who always thinks several steps ahead. She has not just been one of my own closest advisers, but a key resource to our entire majority and a central part of its many accomplishments.

Laura Dove, who becomes top lobbyist for Ford in Washington, D.C. in January, walks with Robert Duncan earlier this year. He succeeded Dove as U.S. Senate Secretary for the Majority, working with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.(Photo: Laura Dove)

Dove, 51, was elected Secretary for the Minority in 2013 and Secretary for the Majority in 2015. Her duties includedmanaging the Senate floor schedule and providing advice on parliamentary procedures to senators.

When Ford hired Dove earlier this year,U.S. Sen.Tom Carper, D-Delaware, said shehad a reputation for working across party lines.

At a critical time in our nations history, Laura worked to help senators find common cause and agreement on important issues, including addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, Carpersaid.

Dove will report to Mitch Bainwol, 61, chief government relations officer at Ford, who managesgovernment relations globally for the company. He is also a corporate officer.

Meanwhile,Rachel McCleery, Fords government and public policy communications manager since 2019, has beenpromoted toa newly created role of director, government relations for manufacturing policy.She plans to emphasize Ford's U.S. manufacturing priorities.

McCleery, 32, whoiswidely respected among reporters for her rapid responses at all hours, also will managepressaffairs until her successor is named.

We are delighted that Rachel has agreed to join the Government Relations team and advocate directly with the new administration and Capitol Hill next year," Bainwol said Wednesday. "She combines deep relationships throughout Washington, sophisticated grasp of the policy process and a deep understanding of what makes Ford Motor Co. so unique in Americas corporate and manufacturing landscape.

Meanwhile,Rachel McCleery, Fords government and public policy communications manager since 2019, has been promoted toa newly created role of director, government relations for manufacturing policy. She is seen here in 2020.(Photo: Ford Motor Co.)

McCleery is a native of Ida andthe daughter oflongtime UAW memberRob McCleery, a master electrician who works in Ford research and engineering in Dearborn.

Prior to Ford, sheworkedin severalgovernmentroles.

McCleery served as spokesperson for the Treasury Department's Office of Economic Policy and Tax during the Obama administration. She spent two years as chief communications adviser and deputy policy director toSenate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Oregon. McCleerymanaged the energy and environment policy portfolio for the late Congressman John D. Dingell, D-Dearborn, andalso served as the national communications director for U.S. Sen Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich..

Rachel was a valued member of my team, and I could always count on her to get our message out on the important work we were doing on behalf of Michigan families," Stabenow said in June 2019. "She was with me advocating for Flint families during the water crisis and fighting unfair trade practices that hurt our automakers and workers.

Mitch Bainwol, chief government relations officer at Ford since March 2019, oversees global strategy for the company. He began his career at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget as a budget analyst during the Reagan Administration. Later, he served as CEO of the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers.(Photo: Ford Motor Co.)

Regardless of who runs Congress or gets elected to the White House, Ford has consistently worked toward bipartisan outreach. Bill Ford Jr., executive director of Ford, is an outspoken supporter of sustainability andthe Paris Climate agreement, the international treaty signed in 2015 in Paris to slow global warming.

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In July 2019, Ford sided with the State of California, which advocated for stronger air quality regulations, whileGeneral Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles sided with the Trump Administration in its fight against tougherstandards. GM revised its position after Joe Biden wonin November, dropping its pre-emption lawsuit but stopping short of embracing the California agreement.

Ford CEO Jim Farley tweeted that GM had "reversed course" after it quitthe Trump alliance.

Matt Godlewski oversees state and local government affairs for Ford Motor Co. while based in Dearborn.(Photo: Ford Motor Co.)

President-elect Biden has pledged support for the automotive industry, which he helped rescue during the Great Recession. In recent weeks, Bidenearned praise for plans to reduce climate-warming vehicle emissions with support of "ambitious" electrification goals.

Michael Sheridan leads international government affairs for Ford.(Photo: Ford Motor Co.)

TheFord government affairs team run by Bainwol is rounded out by:

John Kwant manages technology and mobility policy for Ford as part of its government affairs team.(Photo: Ford Motor Co.)

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Contact Phoebe Wall Howard at 313-222-6512or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid. Read more on Ford and sign up for our autos newsletter.

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Ford revamps Washington team as Biden heads to White House - Detroit Free Press