Healey-Driscoll To Appoint Fiandaca as Mass Transportation Secretary and Tibbits-Nutt as Undersecretary

In full transparency, the following is a press release from the Healey-Driscoll campaign submitted to SOURCE media.

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BOSTON – Massachusetts Governor-elect Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor-elect Driscoll today, December 23, announced that they will appoint Gina Fiandaca as Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Monica G. Tibbits-Nutt, AICP, LEED AP BD+C as Undersecretary of Transportation.

Fiandaca is currently the Assistant City Manager of Austin, Texas and was previously the Commissioner of the Boston Transportation Department.

Tibbits-Nutt is the Executive Director of the 128 Business Council.

Fiandaca has been the Assistant City Manager of Austin since 2019, where she manages a portfolio of infrastructure and mobility departments, including Austin Transportation, that have a total budget of $1.09 billion and nearly 3,000 full-time employees. In this role, she secured the passage of a $7.1B transit system known as Project Connect, which will build a light rail system in the city, and oversaw Public Works, the Austin Bergstrom International Airport and the Austin Water Utility.

Fiandaca started her career in public service while in college working for the city of Boston as a Transportation Clerk, rose to become the  Director of the Office of the Parking Clerk and was later appointed Commissioner of the Boston Transportation Department. She served as Commissioner from 2015-2019, where she drove $100 million in revenue-generating transportation programs with an operating budget of more than $35 million and oversaw a team of more than 400 workers. Under her leadership, the department released the 15-year, $4.74B “Go Boston 2030,” which was Boston’s first major transportation plan in decades that included mobility projects and policies to expand access, improve safety and ensure reliability. She received an MBA from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree from Suffolk University.

“We can’t have a functioning economy without a functioning transportation system. Gina Fiandaca gets that – and she has decades of experience managing large transportation departments and prioritizing safety, reliability and accessibility,” said Governor-elect Healey. “I’m excited to welcome her home to Massachusetts and look forward to the important work she will do alongside our partners in business and labor to deliver results.”

“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,” said Fiandaca. “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.” 

Tibbits-Nutt is the Executive Director of 128 Business Council, a transportation management association and regional service provider that plans and executes innovative first-/last-mile service throughout the Route 128 West Corridor. She recently completed her tenure on the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Board of Directors and as Vice-Chair of the Fiscal Management and Control Board that oversaw the MBTA from 2015-2021. Working in regional planning and transportation, her areas of specialty include transportation planning, urban design, and transit equity.

Her past work experience includes public sector transit planning at both the MBTA Advisory Board and as Executive Director of TransitWorks. In addition, she has worked in regional planning and development for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), the City of Columbus Planning and Development office and the Greater Linden Development Corporation. She received a Masters of City and Regional Planning from the Ohio State University in Columbus and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Southern Indiana. As Undersecretary, she will report to Fiandaca.

“Monica Tibbits-Nutt has a deep knowledge of and passion for transportation,” said Governor-elect Healey. “She prioritizes transparency and communication in her work, because she understands that earning the public’s trust is key to a strong transportation system. She also looks at transportation through an equity lens, striving to ensure that underserved communities and those most impacted by environmental injustices are centered in our decision making.” 

“Governor-elect Healey and Lieutenant Governor-elect Driscoll are committed to building a transportation system that works for every resident in every region of the Commonwealth, and I’m excited to help this administration deliver on that commitment,” said Tibbits-Nutt. “Gina and I share a vision for transforming transportation options throughout the Commonwealth, and together we will prioritize transparency, safety, equity and climate resiliency.”