MBTA - Key Persons
Chanda Smart is a long-time resident of Roxbury, Mass., after living in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. She studied pre-law at the University of Massachusetts and served as Executive Administrator to Lani Guinier and Yochai Benkler at the Harvard Law School. Her 20 years of corporate experience executing operational strategy and delivering results included employers such as Deloitte & Touche LLP, The Gillette Company, American Express, Andersen Consulting, and the Ritz Carlton (Atlanta, Ga.).
In 2021, Mrs. Smart co-founded The OnyxGroup Development LLC, a Boston-based black woman owned & operated brokerage for planning and development.
Mrs. Smart is serving on Boston Mayor Wu's Rent Stabilization Advisory Board in addition to being a board member for the Children's Advocacy Center (Boston, Mass.) and Madison Park Development Corporation (Roxbury, Mass.).
Eric Goodwine has worked in commercial banking for over nine years. He currently works as the Vice President Commercial Loan Officer for the Worcester Lending Center at Rockland Trust.
He previously worked with Business Capital Group at Citizens Bank, and JP Morgan Chase Bank. He is a board member of the Worcester Regional Strategic Opportunities Foundation, the Seven Hills Foundation and Quinsigamond Community College.
Job Titles:
- Deputy General Manager
- Member of the American Public Transportation Association
Jeffrey D. Gonneville is a public transportation professional with more than 25 years of experience in both the public and private sectors.
Before being appointed to Deputy General Manager at the MBTA, Mr. Gonneville held key executive roles, including Chief Operating Officer (COO) for two years. In this role, Mr. Gonneville was responsible for the operation of the light and heavy rail lines and the T's vast bus network. As COO he instituted several initiatives that led to increased "On Time Performance" for all rail lines. Mr. Gonneville also served as the Chief Mechanical Officer (CMO) for the Authority.
As the Deputy General Manager since 2017, he has been responsible for the oversight of all operational modes and associated support departments for bus, paratransit, ferry, light and heavy rail and MBTA Commuter Rail service. As Deputy GM, a key focus has been evolving the Authority's safety culture and leading employees in the operation of a safe and reliable transit system.
Mr. Gonneville is a member of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), a nonprofit international association of more than 1,500 public and private sector member organizations, and a former board member. Mr. Gonneville has served as Chair to both the APTA Bus Technical Maintenance Committee and the Vehicle Maintenance Committee for Northeast Passenger Transportation Association (NEPTA). He has also served on panels for the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP).
Mr. Gonneville is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President of the Climate Beacon Conference
In September 2023, Mary Skelton Roberts was appointed by Mayor Michelle Wu to represent the City of Boston on the MBTA Board of Directors.
Mary is currently the President of the Climate Beacon Conference and a Senior Advisor to the Climate Beacon Project, a non-profit committed to ensuring Massachusetts achieves an equitable energy transition. She serves on the Point32Health Foundation (formerly Tufts Health Plan Foundation), the Governor's Latino Empowerment Council, Boston Girls and Boys Clubs of Boston Board of Directors, and Amplify Latinx Board of Directors.
Skelton Roberts previously served as Senior Vice President at the Energy Foundation where she oversaw the strategic implementation of a $140 million grant making budgets aimed at reducing carbon emissions throughout the United States. Prior to that, she spent over a decade as Co-director of Climate at the Barr Foundation, where she developed strategies focused on transportation, climate resilience, and land use-all critical levers for reducing emissions and protecting those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. She served on the Hispanics in Philanthropy Board of Directors and the Massachusetts Governor's Latino Advisory Commission.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the MassDOT Board
- Secretary
- Chairman of the Mass
- MassDOT Secretary and CEO
- Member of the American Institute of Certified Planners
- Secretary and CEO of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation
- Secretary of Transportation and CEO
Monica G. Tibbits-Nutt, is the Secretary and CEO of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).
As Secretary, Ms. Tibbits-Nutt is responsible for the four divisions of MassDOT: Highway, Rail and Transit, Registry of Motor Vehicles and Aeronautics. As Secretary, she also serves on the Massport and MBTA Board of Directors.
Prior to her appointment, Ms. 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 the Vice-Chair of the Fiscal Management and Control Board (FMCB) that oversaw the MBTA.
Ms. Tibbits-Nutt was also the 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.
Areas of specialty include regional and transportation planning, urban design, and transit equity. In both her work and research, she is particularly interested in capitalizing upon every opportunity to better educate transportation stakeholders and the public about all aspects of the planning process. As part of this focus on education, she serves as the Vice President of the non-profit Youth Engagement Planning (YEP!), which brings urban planning and community advocacy into K-12 environments.
Ms. Tibbits-Nutt 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.
Monica Tibbits-Nutt serves as the chair of the MassDOT Board. The MassDOT Board is responsible for all transportation issues in Massachusetts, including highways, mass transit, vehicle licensing, aeronautics, and more.
Monica Tibbits-Nutt was named MassDOT Secretary and CEO on November 13, 2023.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- General Manager
- MTA in 2017 As the Chief Operating Officer
Phillip Eng is the General Manager and CEO of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). A Civil Engineer with nearly 40 years of transportation experience, including President of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) Long Island Rail Road and Interim President of New York City Transit, Mr. Eng brings his abilities to spearhead challenging initiatives, modernize aging systems and prioritize safety to bear for the MBTA.
Mr. Eng joined the MTA in 2017 as the Chief Operating Officer, where he drove initiatives and focused on updating transportation systems through the use of innovative technologies, including developing new fare payment applications and piloting new signaling systems. As Acting President for New York City Transit, Mr. Eng led the early efforts of the Subway Action Plan - a comprehensive stabilization and modernization effort to address the challenges facing the New York City subway. During his tenure at the Long Island Rail Road, he initiated the Forward program - a set of strategic initiatives aimed at improving service reliability and enhancing rider experience.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President of the Northeast Regional Council of the International Association of Sheet Metal
Robert serves as the President of the Northeast Regional Council of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), a post he has held since May of this year, as well as serving as the Vice President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. Previously, Butler served as the Business Manager of Sheet Metal Workers Local 17, where he was responsible for managing over 5,000 Union members and oversaw millions of dollars in investments and Union funds. Butler spent almost 20 years as a Journeyman in Local 17, giving him a strong understanding of the needs of trade employees that he uses to advocate for worker's rights.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Mayor of Quincy, Vice Chair
Thomas Koch has been the Mayor of Quincy since January, 2008. He has served as Chairman of the MBTA Advisory Board since 2011.
Tom served as Mayor of the City of Lynn from 2018 to 2022. Previously, he served as Massachusetts State Senator from the Third Essex district. He was a member of the Senate Joint Committee on Transportation starting in 2003 and served as Chair of the committee from 2011 to 2018.
Before his election to the Senate in 2002, McGee served four terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives where he represented West Lynn and Nahant. Prior to holding office, McGee practiced law at Quinn and Morris (1990-1994) and served as an Assistant District Attorney for Essex County (1988-1990).
McGee is a life-long resident of Lynn where he lives with his wife Maria. He has 2 children, Thomas and Katherine. He is committed to improving the state's transportation system and strongly supports regional equity.
He currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees at the St Mary's School in Lynn. He is also a member of the Pickering Middle School Building Committee in Lynn
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- General Manager
Thomas Glynn was previously the General Manager of the MBTA under Governor Michael Dukakis, where his priorities were customer service and employee morale. He was also CEO of Massport under Governor Deval Patrick, where his priorities were increasing international flights and increasing diversity in real estate development through the "Massport Model."
He is now an adjunct lecturer in public management at the Harvard Kennedy School. Previously, he served as Deputy Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration and Chief Operating Officer of Partners Healthcare (now called "Mass General Brigham | Integrated Health Care System"). Glynn has a PhD from Brandeis University and a BA from Tufts University. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
In 2022, he was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Bostonians. He served as Co-Chair of the Public Transportation Committee for the Healey-Driscoll Transition Committee.