Tibbits-Nutt will stay on as a paid adviser through the end of the year “to ensure a smooth and efficient transition,” according to a press release. She was not quoted in the release, nor did she appear at a press conference at the department’s headquarters Thursday.
Governor Maura Healey told reporters at the State House that she did not ask Tibbits-Nutt to step down. The governor also insisted her exit was unrelated to several controversies during Tibbits-Nutt‘s tenure, including the service plaza contract or Tibbits-Nutt’s comments last year that the state could start charging tolls to drivers entering its borders.
“No, absolutely not,” Healey said, saying officials “wish her all the best in her next chapter.”
Tibbits-Nutt is the fifth member of Healey’s Cabinet to leave or announce a departure since the spring, following announcements by Healey’s secretaries on public safety, economic development, health, and veteran services.
Tibbits-Nutt will continue to earn her $206,496 salary while serving as an adviser, according to Healey’s office.
Tibbits-Nutt did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.
Eng said at a press conference that his attention and capabilities won’t be diluted as he manages two agencies at once. MassDOT’s existing highway administrator, Jonathan Gulliver, will concurrently serve as undersecretary of transportation.
“I intend to stay just as engaged as I’ve been with the MBTA, and I know that doesn’t sound feasible, but it is because they know what they’re doing, MassDOT people know what they’re doing,” Eng said.
Eng is slated to receive only his MBTA salary while serving in both roles, Healey’s office said. Eng made $546,684 last year, according to payroll records.
Eng said there had been no discussions about staying on permanently as transportation chief, but he seemed receptive to the possibility.
“I’m open to holding it as long as it’s needed,” he said.
Healey said she was not concerned that Eng holding both titles could impact the T or stretch the general manager too far.
“He gets it done,” Healey said. “The trains are running on time, and a lot has happened because of his leadership and his management, and I expect that he’ll bring that same level of management and leadership now statewide as he takes over the entire transportation system.”
When Healey was building her Cabinet, Tibbits-Nutt was viewed as a rising star. With a background that included working in community planning, she was tapped as undersecretary, then thrust into the top post in late 2023 after her predecessor, Gina Fiandaca, abruptly quit after less than a year on the job.
She was the first Black, gay woman transit chief in state history.
Tibbits-Nutt previously served on the MassDOT board of directors and as the vice chair of the Fiscal Management and Control Board, the MBTA’s former oversight body. She also worked as executive director of the 128 Business Council, an organization that offers shuttle services along the Route 128 West corridor.
She often spoke freely about her stance on various transportation issues.
Tibbits-Nutt vowed to nix a layover yard for parking and maintaining diesel-powered trains as part of the Allston multimodal project, freeing up space for people and development.
She said at a public talk that she had never been to the commuter rail station just a five-minute drive from her home, calling the train inconvenient and “insanely expensive.”
In one particularly controversial moment, she pledged that a task force she was co-leading would seriously consider imposing tolls and fees at the border for drivers crossing into Massachusetts.
The fallout was swift. Healey reprimanded Tibbits-Nutt for the comment in a radio interview, saying, “It’s not how we do things.” The state GOP slammed the speech as “an abhorrent display of bad policy.” Auditor Diana DiZoglio said tolls at the New Hampshire border “would have devastating impacts.”
Jim Aloisi, a secretary in the department under former governor Deval Patrick, said Tibbits-Nutt’s departure did not come as a surprise. It’s a hard job, he said, and demands the governor’s support for ambitious projects as well as more leadership than was currently being exhibited.
“I think a lot of us had high hopes and expectations for the secretary. I think they were not really realized,” Aloisi said. “Maybe that’s true for the governor as well.”
Reggie Ramos, executive director of the advocacy group Transportation for Massachusetts, said she appreciated the secretary’s accessibility to advocates but was not shocked by the news.
“Unfortunately, the former secretary wasn’t short of naysayers,” she said. “But I am hopeful a search for a new secretary addresses the needs of the Commonwealth, which are very urgent.”
While Tibbits-Nutt leaves behind a tenure marked by controversy, she also had successes.
Caitlin Allen-Connelly, executive director of transportation research and advocacy group TransitMatters, credited Tibbits-Nutt for being a “true champion” of the MBTA’s reduced fare program for low-income riders.
Brian Kane, executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, said Tibbits-Nutt convened the transportation task force whose work helped persuade lawmakers to give the MBTA a $535 million infusion. She also had to “rebuild” the department’s leadership after the abrupt exit of her predecessor, he said.
The high-profile problems surrounding the highway rest stop contract was not a defining issue, Kane said, but he believes it “certainly played a role” in her leaving.
“It’s a year until the election, more or less,” Kane said. “I think Maura Healey wants this part of her administration to just not generate news and be quiet.”
Kane cited two concerns about Eng holding dual roles: the GM’s focus could naturally be shifted away from the T, and his appointment exposes the relatively “shallow bench” of transportation officials who can fill the secretary role.
“I texted with him this morning. He made it clear to me that the T is his home base,” Kane said of Eng. But, he added, for “the GM and the highway administrator to be the only two available [to step into these positions], it’s disconcerting.”
Former governor Charlie Baker had just two transportation secretaries over his eight-year tenure, with Stephanie Pollack’s six years in the role standing as one of the longest stints in decades.
Before that, former governor Deval Patrick cycled through several secretaries over eight years, with Richard Davey, now the CEO of Massport, following Jeff Mullan, Aloisi, and Bernard Cohen.
Eng will make Healey’s third transportation secretary in about as many years.
Healey wasn’t clear on how long Eng could serve in the role and did not say whether she is considering having Eng serve as secretary in a more permanent role.
“You know, I’m taking it day by day,” Healey said. “Obviously, an interim can’t last forever, but you know, we’re going to take that as it comes.”
Samantha J. Gross can be reached at samantha.gross@globe.com. Follow her @samanthajgross. Matt Stout can be reached at matt.stout@globe.com. Follow him @mattpstout. Jaime Moore-Carrillo can be reached at jaime.moore-carrillo@globe.com.