President Obama will nominate Charlotte, N.C., mayor Anthony Foxx to be Secretary of Transportation, news sources are reporting.

Foxx would replace Ray LaHood, who has said he would serve until a successor is confirmed.

Foxx, 41, is considered a rising political star. Politico named him one of “50 to watch” after his successful bid to bring the 2012 Democratic National Convention to Charlotte.

Foxx was elected mayor in 2009. Since then he has pushed to expand public transit, helped develop a new inland port and worked on a new runway at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.

“As mayor of one of America’s most vibrant cities, Anthony Foxx knows firsthand that investing in world-class infrastructure is vital to creating good jobs and ensuring American businesses can grow and compete in the global economy,” said a White House official cited in The Washington Post.

Foxx was born and raised in Charlotte by his single mother and grandparents. He graduated from Davidson College, where he was the first African-American student body president, and from the New York University School of Law.

He worked as an appellate court clerk, as a staffer in the U.S. House and as a practicing attorney in Charlotte before moving full time into politics.

He was elected to the Charlotte City Council in 2005, serving two terms before being elected mayor in 2009.

His nomination will be announced today.