YET ANOTHER EXIT from Gov. Maura Healey’s cabinet is looming, with the announcement that Housing Secretary Ed Augustus plans to step down at the end of next week to take a job leading a major Central Massachusetts bank.
A former Worcester city official and state senator, Augustus’s three-year tenure has been marked by a sustained effort to enforce mandatory zoning reforms in many communities as he oversaw the administration’s attempts to spur significant new housing development.
He’ll be succeeded by Juana Matias, a former state representative from Lawrence who most recently served as a regional administrator for the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Matias also spent three years as chief operating officer of MassINC, the nonprofit civic organization that publishes CommonWealth Beacon, before departing for the Biden administration job.
In a statement provided by Healey’s office, Matias doubled down on the administration’s call to build more housing as a salve for the state’s lack of supply and skyrocketing prices.
“I have dedicated my career to serving the people of this state and I’ve seen the transformative impact that pro-growth housing policy can have on communities and economies,” Matias said. “Ensuring families have the foundation they need to build their lives in Massachusetts is essential, and I’m ready to get to work.”
Healey moved upon taking office to separate what had been the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development into two separate departments, arguing that the housing crunch is so severe and so central to quality-of-life issues that a standalone secretariat was necessary to craft a response.
During Augustus’s time as housing secretary, the state rolled into effect a 2021 law known as the MBTA Communities Act, which requires the 177 cities and towns near T service to zone for multifamily housing by right in at least one district. Despite pockets of local intransigence, the vast majority of communities have complied, and holdouts are starting to come around in the face of legal action.
Healey also signed into law a major housing bond bill that authorized billions of dollars in borrowing to fund additional housing development.
“I’m honored that Gov. Healey and Lt. Gov. Driscoll placed their faith in me to help lead this new secretariat,” Augustus said in a statement. “Massachusetts’s housing crisis impacts every community, but we know what the solution is — build more housing and strengthen the systems that help people find stability at every stage.”
Augustus plans to step down on February 27 to become CEO of UniBank, the largest bank in Central Massachusetts, according to Healey’s office. Deputy Secretary Jennifer Maddox will lead the department on an interim basis for a month, and Matias will start on April 1.
Augustus becomes the eighth Cabinet secretary to depart during Healey’s term, following last week’s announcement that Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler would step down. Healey is up for reelection this fall, and cabinet secretaries sometimes prefer to leave toward the end of a term.
The shuffle is a return to Beacon Hill for Matias. She spent one term as a state representative before running for an open US House seat in the Merrimack Valley in 2018.
Matias finished fourth in a 10-way Democratic primary, behind current US Rep. Lori Trahan, Dan Koh — who is now running for the neighboring House seat set to be vacated by Seth Moulton — and former state senator Barbara L’Italien.
She worked at MassINC from 2019 until Biden appointed her to helm the regional HUD office in 2022. In that role, according to Healey’s office, Matias managed an annual budget of nearly $8.5 billion and oversaw housing grant awards, enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, and anti-homelessness programs.
“Juana brings with her a deep understanding of housing policy from her time as HUD regional administrator and a longtime commitment to Massachusetts,” Healey said. “We’re excited to further our housing agenda and look forward to working with Juana to meet this moment.”
In a statement, House Speaker Ron Mariano said Matias “demonstrated a deep understanding of the issues and an innate ability to cultivate lasting relationships” during her term in the House.
