Gina Fiandaca stepping down as MassDOT secretary

Gina Fiandaca, the secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, is stepping down after just eight months on the job.

The state announced Monday that Fiandaca's last day will be Sept. 11. No reason was given for her departure. She was appointed in January by Gov. Maura Healey and is the first cabinet member that she appointed to leave her administration.

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BOSTON, MA - MARCH 29: Gina Fiandaca. Boston Transportation Commissioner, is pictured in Boston on March 29, 2018. (Photo by Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) — Gina Fiandaca. Boston Transportation Commissioner, is pictured in Boston on March 29, 2018. (Photo by Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

“Lieutenant Governor Driscoll and I are grateful for Gina’s leadership at the Department of Transportation. She came to our administration with over four decades of experience in transportation and a proven track record of getting things done," Healey said in a statement. "She hit the ground running and has delivered on many of our key transportation priorities."

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Undersecretary for Transportation Monica Tibbits-Nutt will take over as acting transportation secretary. She has served in her current role since January, and previously served on the MassDOT board of directors and as vice-chair of the Fiscal Management and Control Board that oversaw the MBTA from 2015-2021.

Fiandaca will remain in an advisory role through the end of the year in an effort to ensure a smooth transition, the state said.

In a statement, she thanked Healey for "the honor and privilege" of leading MassDOT.

"I am grateful for the trust Governor Healey placed in me that led to significant progress in virtually every facet of transportation in the Commonwealth. Together, we have hired new leadership at the MBTA, implemented the Work and Family Mobility Act, reached approximately the half-way point with the Sumner Tunnel Restoration Project and helped drivers ‘ditch the drive’, and led efforts to obtain more than 2 billion dollars in federal funding."

Prior to taking over MassDOT, Fiandaca had served as assistant city manager in Austin, Texas, and before that as head of transportation for the City of Boston under former Mayor Marty Walsh.