GOV.-ELECT MAURA HEALEY, whose campaign often addressed issues more with broad brushstrokes than detailed policy prescriptions, announced six transition policy committees on Friday that will be tasked with “translating the campaign’s vision into plans.”
The committees will be led by 15 co-chairs, including several well-known names from the worlds of education, business, and environmental policy.
Healey announced that Danielle Cerny will serve as transition director and coordinate the work of the committees. Most recently, Cerny served as deputy chief of staff to Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo. She formerly worked in Massachusetts state government as a top aide to former state Sen. Susan Fargo and as social innovation finance manager at the Executive Office for Administration and Finance.
“The goal of this transition is to support and build a talented team that’s prepared to begin to deliver for people on day one,” said Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Driscoll, the transition chair, in a statement. “Governor-elect Healey and I are excited to be building out our transition committees that will guide this process, in addition to other important work we will be doing over the coming weeks.
The incoming administration eschewed standard subject area titles like “transportation” and “education,” instead naming the six committees: “How we get around,” “Affordable, abundant housing,” “Climate readiness, resiliency and adaptation,” “Jobs and a flourishing economy for all,” Thriving youth and young adult,” and “Safe and healthy communities for all ages.”
“How we get around” will be co-chaired by Monica Tibbits-Nutt, the executive director of the 128 Business Council and a former member of the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board, and Tom Glynn, who has held senior posts across government, including general manager of the T and CEO of Massport, and was a top official at Partners HealthCare. Glynn is currently an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School and has been overseeing the university’s massive development plans in Allston.
The “Affordable, abundant housing” committee will have three co-chairs: Alisa Magnotta, president and CEO of Housing Assistance Corporation, a Cape Cod nonprofit; Keith Fairey, president and CEO of Way Finders, a Springfield nonprofit focused on housing assistance and homelessness prevention; and Stephen Davis, co-president of the Davis Companies, a real estate investment, management, and development company.
The committee focused on “Climate readiness, resiliency and adaptation” will be co-chaired by Gina McCarthy, the former White House national climate advisor and US Environmental Protection Agency administrator, and Lizzi Weyant, deputy executive director for public affairs and advocacy at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. The “Jobs and a flourishing economy for all” will be co-chaired by Pam Eddinger, the president of Bunker Hill Community College; A.J. Enchill, president and executive director of The Berkshire Black Economic Council; JD Chesloff, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable; and Chrissy Lynch, chief of staff at the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.
The committee on “Thriving youth and young adults,” which is charged with addressing pandemic learning loss and ensure all children and families have have equitable access to education, social, and emotional and behavioral supports, will be co-chaired by Amanda Fernandez, CEO and founder of Latinos for Education, and Rachel Monárrez, the superintendent of the Worcester Public Schools. The “Safe and healthy communities for all ages” committee, which will focus on access to health resources, including mental health care and substance use recovery services, will be co-chaired by Michael Curry, president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, and Aisha Miller, vice president of the development firm Related Beal and the former chief of civic engagement under Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.
A press release announcing the appointments said the committees will be “charged with producing action-oriented deliverables that will guide the Healey-Driscoll Administration, including identifying the timeline for action, resources to leverage, and metrics to measure effectiveness.”
A page listing the committee co-chairs on the Healey transition website says information on committee members who will serve under them and how the public can engage with the committees’ work will be “coming soon.” The page includes a link for members of the public to submit ideas for the new administration.