In March, an autonomous Uber SUV, with a safety driver behind the wheel, struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona, causing Uber to suspend all of its self-driving tests across the country. Last month, the company requested permission to resume its self-driving tests, saying it would put two safety drivers in the front seats of its autonomous vehicles and keep its automatic braking system active at all times once it was allowed to test its cars on open roads again.

This is the latest public official to join a private company. In recent years, NHTSA and National Transportation Safety Board members have been hired by Waymo, GM, Zoox and Faraday Future.