Monica Tibbits-Nutt (left), then-undersecretary of transportation, then-Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca and MBTA General Manager Phil Eng tour a Sumner Tunnel construction site on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. Photo by Sam Doran | State House News Service

One of the state’s top transportation experts is now Massachusetts’ top transportation official.

Gov. Maura Healey announced  that she was naming Acting Secretary of Transportation Monica Tibbits-Nutt to the role on a permanent basis Monday morning.

Tibbits-Nutt had entered the administration as MassDOT undersecretary, but was elevated to the senior role when then-Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca suddenly left this summer. At the time, several observers had judged the permanent secretary role was Tibbits-Nutt’s to lose.

In an email announcing the appointment, Healey’s office credited Tibbits-Nutt with a central role in the MBTA’s rapidly response to an Oct. 11 flash flood in Leominster that swept away main commuter rail tracks, in making sure funding applications for key infrastructure programs like the Cape Cod bridge replacement were filed on time, with ensuring a large McGrath Highway bridge in Somerville was completed ahead of schedule and a central role in the formulation of the T’s much-heralded plan to aggressively rebuild its subway system tracks next year.

“Monica Tibbits-Nutt is a proven leader who has done important work at MassDOT over the past year as we’ve worked to make Massachusetts’ transportation system more reliable, safe and accessible,” Healey said in a statement. “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 Governor Driscoll and I are confident that Secretary Tibbits-Nutt is the right person to lead the hardworking team at MassDOT and serve the people of Massachusetts.”

Before joining the Healey administration, Tibbits-Nutt had been executive director of the 128 Business Council, a sizable private bus network for employees at companies along Route 128 in the Waltham-Lexington area and was well-known as a leader in the transportation field. She also served as vice chair of the MBTA Fiscal Management and Control Board, the governing body for the T from 2015 through 2021.

Advocates praised the administration’s decision.

Brian Kane, head of the municipality-focused MBTA Advisory Board, called Tibbits-Nutt “an inspired choice.”

“Monica Tibbits-Nutt has dedicated her life to improving the transportation system in the Commonwealth. The members, designees, and employees of the MBTA Advisory Board wish Secretary Tibbits-Nutt all the best as the “acting” part of her title is removed,” he said in an email.

The head of public transit watchdog TransitMatters said the group was “thrilled” at Healey’s decision.

“[Tibbits-Nutt] has the experience, the passion, and the deep commitment to equity needed to guide our transportation system through a time of great challenges and opportunities. We look forward to continuing our work with her and her team,” Jarred Johnson said in an email.

Business leaders also weighed in with cheers.

“I commend Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll’s decision to entrust the future of MassDOT to Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt. Over the years, I have seen Secretary Tibbits-Nutt lead impactful organizations and teams, and her immense expertise will strengthen MassDOT and the Commonwealth’s transportation system. I look forward to continuing to work with the Secretary to move forward strategic solutions to difficult challenges that our communities and businesses urgently need,” Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jim Rooney said in a statement.

Kate Dineen, president and CEO of the business-backed advocacy group A Better City, said she was “thrilled, yet not surprised.”

“Secretary Tibbits-Nutt has quickly established herself as a collaborative and solution-oriented leader with the vision and pragmatism to make meaningful progress toward improving our infrastructure and uplifting our communities,” she said in a statement.

Editor’s Note 1:18 p.m., Nov. 13, 2023: This story has been updated to include statements from business and transit advocates.