Frank DePaola, who took the reins as MBTA general manager after last winter’s storms exposed the poor state of the system and threw the agency under the public microscope, announced that he will retire at the end of June.

“It has been an honor to serve as general manager during this critical period and to work with so many dedicated colleagues and employees who have helped the MBTA improve service, become more resilient and fix the T’s aging assets,” DePaola said in a statement distributed by the state’s Department of Transportation.

The MassDOT statement said DePaola is battling cancer.


“My decision to retire is a difficult one but I cannot continue to spend the countless hours that the job demands while continuing needed treatment and focusing on my health,” DePaola said.

Before taking on the general manager job, DePaola had worked as the state highway department’s overseer, acting secretary of transportation in the final months of the Patrick administration, and in engineering roles with the MBTA.

DePaola was named acting general manager last February after the resignation of former GM Beverly Scott. Scott, who had been hired during the tenure of former Gov. Deval Patrick, left the post as the transit system struggled to operate under several feet of snow in the early weeks of Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration.

The T was cast into the spotlight in the aftermath of the winter issues, leading to the creation of a new governing board that has dug in to the agency’s financial and infrastructure struggles.

MBTA Chief Administrator Brian Shortsleeve will assume the title of acting general manager on July 1. Shortsleeve was hired last July from the venture capital firm General Catalyst, where Baker had once worked as an executive-in-residence.

Since his hiring, Shortsleeve has focused on the financial picture at the MBTA. DePaola, whose background is in engineering, focused more on projects like preparing the system for winter, the completion of the rebooted Government Center station, and attempting to right the course of the over-budget Green Like extension to Somerville and Medford.


Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack said in a statement that she would “work closely” with the agency’s board and transportation officials to “develop a transition plan that will ensure continued progress in the near-term while laying the groundwork for the stable, long-term leadership and governance” at the T.

In addition to Shortsleeve’s assuming the acting GM title, MBTA Chief Operations Officer Jeff Gonneville will take on added responsibilities.