Monica Tibbits-Nutt Steps Down as MassDOT Secretary; Phil Eng Named Interim

Monica Tibbits-Nutt has stepped down from her positions as Secretary of Transportation and CEO of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to return to the private sector. Governor Maura Healey has named Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) General Manager Phil Eng as Interim Transportation Secretary. Tibbits-Nutt will continue as an advisor through Dec. 31 to ensure an efficient transition.

Governor Healey appointed Phil Eng as MBTA general manager in March 2023. Under his leadership, MBTA eliminated all subway speed restrictions for the first time in more than 20 years. Eng started his career at the New York State DOT, beginning in 1983 as a junior engineer. Over three decades, he held roles in planning, in-house design, bridge inspection including the four East River Bridges (Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Ed Koch Queensboro Bridges), maintenance, and operations. He was executive deputy commissioner and chief engineer from 2013-2017, delivering many signature projects, including the Mario M. Cuomo Tappan Zee Bridge and Kosciuszko Bridge.

Eng then served as chief operating officer of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority; interim president of NYC Transit; president of MTA Long Island Rail Road; and as executive vice president of the LiRo Group, where he advised public- and private-sector clients on engineering, transportation and infrastructure projects.

For APTA, Eng is a member of the Board of Directors and serves on the Rail Transit CEOs Committee, Commuter Rail CEOs Subcommittee, and LGBTQ+ Resource Group.

Prior to her appointment, Tibbits-Nutt served as Undersecretary of MassDOT, where, among other responsibilities, she led the effort to stand up the Office of Transportation and Climate Planning and Policy. She also served on the MassDOT Board of Directors and as vice-chair of the Fiscal Management and Control Board that oversaw the MBTA.

Tibbits-Nutt was also executive director of the 128 Business Council, a transportation management association and regional service provider that builds privately funded, cooperative public transportation routes throughout the Route 128 West Corridor.