Healey Picks New MA Transportation Dept. Leaders

BOSTON, MA — Gov.-elect Maura Healey has made her picks to lead the agency overseeing the state's enormous transportation network.

Former Boston Transportation Department commissioner Gina Fiandaca will become the Massachusetts secretary of transportation after Healey assumes office on Jan. 4. She has been serving as the assistant city manager in Austin, Texas, since leaving Boston in 2019.

128 Business Council Executive Director Monica Tibbits-Nutt will become the transportation undersecretary under Healey.

Together, Fiandaca and Tibbits-Nutt will oversee an enormous department that includes the RMV, MBTA, 15 regional transit authorities plus highways, freight rail and most public-use airports.

"Massachusetts residents need to be able to rely on our trains, buses and roads to get them where they need to go safely and on time. This is key not only for people’s daily lives, but also for the strength of our businesses and economy," Fiandaca said in a news release. "I’m honored that Governor-elect Healey and Lieutenant Governor-elect Driscoll have placed their faith in me to lead the team that will deliver these critical services and am thrilled by the opportunity to continue my career in Massachusetts."

Fiandaca will take over for Jamey Tesler, who has been the state's permanent transportation secretary since July 2021. He took over for Stephanie Pollack after she became deputy administrator of the Federal Highway Administration under President Joe Biden.

This is the second major transportation move Healey has made this week. On Thursday she announced an interim MBTA chief, with an expectation of picking a permanent candidate in early 2023.