Stephanie Pollack


Stephanie Pollack is an American transportation policy expert who as of 2020 heads the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. She previously worked for the Conservation Law Foundation and Northeastern University before starting her position at MassDOT. Pollack was the first female secretary of transportation in Massachusetts.

Education

In 1982 Pollack received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and in 1985 she graduated magna cum laude with a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School.

Career

Pollack began work with the Conservation Law Foundation as a sophomore at MIT with a position doing policy research on coal fired power plants. She continued to work there post graduation from Harvard and rose to Senior VP and acting president. She also worked as a senior strategy consultant for groups including the Boston Transportation Department and Massport.
In 2004 Pollack took a position at Northeastern University as a Senior Research Associate and Senior Director at the Center for Urban and Regional Policy and an adjunct professor for the Northeastern University School of Law. During this time Pollack also served on the board of the Newton Transportation Advisory Committee and the MassDOT Transportation Advisory Committee.
In January 2015, Pollack was chosen by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker to lead the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Pollack described her appointment as surprising, given fundamentally different policy views between Baker, a lifelong Republican, and her own liberal views as a Democrat.

Personal life

Pollack met her husband Kenneth Snow while at MIT. She has three children, all of whom are studying engineering. Pollack has lived in Newton, Massachusetts, for over 20 years and is a strong advocate of car free transportation. Pollack is an observant Orthodox Jew. Pollack has been a Democrat since she first registered to vote at age 18.