Richard Davey 2012.jpg

Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary Richard A. Davey, center, is seen during a visit to Springfield in 2012. Behind him are Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, and Stephen Clark, right, who, at the time, was Under Secretary of the state Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

(Mark M. Murray / The Republican file)

BOSTON -- Richard Davey, the boss of the state's transportation department under former Gov. Deval Patrick, has been named by Boston Olympic boosters as the new head of the private effort to bring the games to the city.

The former state transportation secretary will replace another former Patrick official, Dan O'Connell, as president of Boston 2024 as the bid moves into the next round of the competition.

"Dan O'Connell was integral in making the case over the last year that Boston could host a Games that was sustainable, cost-effective, and that would leave a lasting legacy for Boston and Massachusetts," ohn Fish, chairman of Boston 2024, said in an emailed statement.

Fish praised Davey as the perfect fit to move the Boston 2024 effort in the next round of the competition.

Davey's rise to the top of the state's transportation power structure began when he was the general manager of the private contractor that operate the commuter rail. He subsequently moved from that role to general manager of the MBTA and eventually to MassDOT where he oversaw the entire Massachusetts transportation system.

Davey has appeared at some Boston 2024 events. In December he was seated in the crowd at the only public debate on hosting the Summer Olympics before the USOC chose Boston as the official US bid city.