Gov. Healey appoints Monica Tibbits-Nutt as MassDOT secretary

Massachusetts Gov. Maura T. Healey has appointed Monica Tibbits-Nutt as secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Tibbits-Nutt had been serving as acting secretary since mid-September and was previously undersecretary for transportation with the department. She also completed her tenure on the MassDOT Board of Directors and as the vice chair of the Fiscal Management and Control Board (FMCB) that oversaw the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) from 2015-2021.  

“Monica Tibbits-Nutt is a proven leader who has done important work at MassDOT during the past year, as we’ve worked to make Massachusetts’ transportation system more reliable, safe and accessible,” Gov. Healey said. “As acting secretary, she hit the ground running by working with the MBTA to prepare a first-of-its kind plan to fix the tracks by the end of next year, taking important steps to integrate climate planning across MassDOT, securing federal funding to support infrastructure needs and stepping up for communities that were devastated by extreme weather. She prioritizes community engagement and equity at every turn. Lieutenant Gov. [Kim] Driscoll and I are confident Tibbits-Nutt is the right person to lead the hardworking team at MassDOT and serve the people of Massachusetts.” 

As acting secretary for MassDOT, Tibbits-Nutt has received more than $108 million in funding from the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program, which will lay the groundwork for construction of West-East Rail. Tibbits-Nutt has also submitted federal funding applications for the Cape Cod Bridges, the Allston Multimodal Project, the Vernon Hill project in Worcester and the Schell Bridge. 

She has released $4.7 million in Community Transit Grant awards directly to municipalities, including $4.6 million for infrastructure projects to improve road safety in Brockton, Haverhill, Lowell and Somerville through a U.S. Department of Transportation program. MassDOT notes her efforts helped to raise the first Office of Transportation and Climate Planning and Policy as a shared service responsible for setting operational standards for both MassDOT and MBTA.

“Secretary Tibbits-Nutt has been a deeply valued member of our team from day one and our entire administration is thrilled to see her step into this well-deserved role,” said Massachusetts Lieutenant Gov. Kim Driscoll. “She has earned the respect of her colleagues and community partners and I know our transportation system is in good hands under her leadership.” 

“I am grateful to Gov. Healey and Lieutenant Gov. Driscoll for the opportunity to lead MassDOT as secretary,” Tibbits-Nutt said. “During the past year, I have had the privilege to serve alongside and get to know the incredible team at MassDOT. We all share a deep commitment to delivering the safe, reliable, resilient and equitable transportation system that the people of Massachusetts deserve. I am honored by the opportunity to lead the department in this critical moment and build on the progress that the Healey-Driscoll Administration has made together.” 

As undersecretary of MassDOT, Tibbits-Nutt directed oversight over the Rail & Transit Division, Aeronautics Division and the Office of Transportation Planning. 

Prior to accepting her current role, Tibbits-Nutt served as the executive director of 128 Business Council, a unique transportation management association and regional service provider that builds privately-funded, cooperative public transportation routes throughout the Route 128 West Corridor. 

Tibbits-Nutt's areas of specialty are regional and transportation planning, urban design and transit equity. As part of her focus on education, she serves as the vice president of the non-profit Youth Engagement Planning, which brings urban planning and community advocacy into K-12 environments.  

Tibbits-Nutt also commits a significant portion of her time to mentorship through her roles as a member of the Board of Advisors to The Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston and, less officially, by making herself available to the students and young professionals she has met through guest lecturing and her membership in the American Planning Association, the Transportation Research Board and other professional associations. Tibbits-Nutt serves on the Board of Directors of WTS International and the WTS Foundation, which seeks to create a more inclusive and equitable transportation industry and provides scholarships to female-identifying professionals and students, respectively; and on the Board of Trustees of TransitCenter, which works to support, inform, connect and fund civic and public leaders working to truly make transit better. 

She is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and a LEED Accredited Professional in Building Design & Construction with the U.S. Green Building Council.