Richard A. Davey

Richard A. Davey is an American attorney and transportation executive who was the Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation from September 2011 to October 2014 and previously the General Manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority from March 2010 to September 2011. After leaving state government, Davey served as chief executive of Boston 2024, a non-profit group planning Boston's unsuccessful bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Davey is currently a Partner and Associate Director at Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Early life and career

A native of Randolph, Massachusetts, Davey earned a BA degree from the College of the Holy Cross and a JD summa cum laude from the Gonzaga University School of Law.

He began his legal career in 1999 with the United States Department of Justice as a trial attorney for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Davey later worked for the New York City law firm of Schulte Roth & Zabel.

Transportation executive

In 2002, Davey joined the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company, a private company that runs the MBTA Commuter Rail. In July 2003 he was named the MBCR's general counsel and in 2007 was named deputy general manager of the MBCR. In 2008 he was promoted to the general manager's position. In his first full year as general manager, customer complaints went down 40 percent.

Davey left the MBCR in March 2010 when he became the general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

On August 4, 2011, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced that Davey would succeed outgoing Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Mullan on September 1, 2011.

On October 10, 2014, Davey informed Patrick that he would step down as Transportation Secretary, effective October 31. Frank DePaola, MassDOT Highway administrator, would be appointed the acting Transportation Secretary.

Boston Olympics bid

In January 2015, Davey became chief executive of Boston 2024, a nonprofit group in charge of planning for the ultimately unsuccessful Boston bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. He was to have been paid $300,000 a year.

Personal life

Davey is married to Jane Willis, a partner at Ropes & Gray and a former member of the MIT Blackjack Team. They reside in Boston.