MassDOT Secretary Announces MBTA Leadership Team
On July 30, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Secretary Stephanie Pollack announced Brian Shortsleeve will serve as the chief administrator for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), working alongside the newly appointed Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB), interim General Manager Frank DePaola, who will continue in his current role focusing solely on operations and Jeff Gonneville, a 14-year veteran of the MBTA who will serve as the permanent Chief Operating Officer.
Under the MBTA reforms Gov. Charlie Baker recently signed into law, the MassDOT secretary was given the ability to name the MBTA's general manager. Given the immense reforms underway at the MBTA, Pollack has divided the T's leadership into two positions in accordance with the recommendations of the Governor's MBTA Special Review Panel. The chief administrator will focus on the fiscal health of the organization, enabling the general manager to focus on improving service for customers.
"Brian is a proven leader with a successful track record fixing and running complex organizations large and small and his expertise is exactly what is needed to get the job done," said Governor Baker. "The taxpayers of Massachusetts deserve a transportation system they can rely on and together with the Control Board, our new leadership team at the MBTA can implement the reforms outlined by our panel of experts."
"With the governance and leadership in place, I believe the MBTA is on track for a transformation designed to ensure that customers receive the safest and most reliable, innovative and customer-responsive transit possible," said Secretary Pollack. "The Fiscal and Management Control Board is moving quickly and with Brian's intense focus on the financial health of the organization combined with Frank and Jeff's experience with system operations, we are moving ahead to fix the T."
The Fiscal and Management Control Board met today for the second time since the Governor signed it into law and swore in its members, and is working toward the required 60-day report to the legislature as well as the immediate service improvements and track upgrades already underway at the MBTA. The MBTA is also currently implementing the $83 million Winter Resiliency Plan which is making investments this summer and over the next five years in snow removal equipment, infrastructure upgrades and operations during harsh weather to improve service reliability.
