Governor Baker Appoints Tim Sullivan to MBTA FMCB and Brian Lang to MassDOT Board of Directors

Governor Charlie Baker today appointed Tim Sullivan to serve on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB), and appointed current FMCB member Brian Lang to also serve on the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Board of Directors.

Mr. Sullivan, who is currently a Managing Director at UBS, has nearly 30 years of experience in the public and private sectors. He previously served as the Executive Director of MassHousing, the quasi-public agency charged with providing financing for affordable housing in Massachusetts. Over a decade and a half, Mr. Sullivan served MassHousing in increasingly senior roles including Chief Financial Officer, Deputy Director of Finance and Rental Programs, and Director of Rental Lending.

Mr. Sullivan also served as Budget Director for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and worked in the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Union College and a Master of Science in Public Affairs from the University of Massachusetts Boston.

“Tim has an impressive record of leadership and management experience and knows the importance of working closely with local communities and constituencies to promote growth and sustainability,” said Governor Baker. “Tim’s guidance and insight will be a great benefit to the Authority as it navigates the new COVID-19 landscape. I am grateful for Brian’s hard work and efforts over the last several years on the FMCB and appreciate him joining the MassDOT Board.”

“Tim Sullivan’s knowledge of public and private finance and experience working to finance affordable housing will assist the MBTA as it works to protect essential service for transit-dependent customers and ensure that available resources are focused on meeting current and near-term demand,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack. “Brian Lang has been a thoughtful and effective member of the Fiscal Management and Control Board and I look forward to him serving in his new additional role on the MassDOT Board of Directors.”

“We are pleased to have Tim Sullivan join the FMCB and help support our ongoing efforts to match service with ridership demands while building a better T that is safe, reliable, robust, and resilient,” said General Manager Steve Poftak. “Tim brings decades of experience and a valuable management skillset to our organization and I look forward to working closely with him.”

Mr. Lang will join the MassDOT Board of Directors and will continue serving on the MBTA FMCB. Mr. Lang was appointed to the FMCB by Governor Baker in 2015 and is a past President of UNITE HERE Local 26, Boston's hotel and food service union. He spent more than 20 years representing the union's 7,000 members, starting as organizing director, and eventually being elected as president in 2011. Before joining the UNITE HERE Local 26 team, he was involved as a union organizer for SEIU Local 285.

The FMCB was first established by Governor Baker and the Legislature in July 2015 to oversee and improve the finances, management, and operations of the MBTA. In July 2020, Governor Baker signed legislation extending the FMCB for an additional year.

The MassDOT Board of Directors serves as the governing authority for MassDOT. Each seat on the MassDOT Board is required to fulfill specific criteria so that the Board has Directors with expertise in transportation, finance, and/or engineering.

Mr. Sullivan replaces Brian Shortsleeve as an FMCB Director with finance experience and Mr. Lang replaces Mr. Shortsleeve on the MassDOT Board of Directors. The statute which created the FMCB in 2015 set forth that 3 members of the FMCB must also serve as a member of the MassDOT Board of Directors. Mr. Shortsleeve was 1 of the 3 who served on both Boards and now Mr. Lang will serve on both Boards.