As she pursues reelection and a busy policy agenda this year, Gov. Maura Healey is losing another Cabinet secretary and she’s turning to a former state representative to fill the vacancy.
Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus is stepping down Friday, Feb. 27 to become CEO of UniBank, the Healey administration confirmed Thursday.
To assume his place as secretary, the governor announced she has tapped former Rep. Juana Matias, a Democrat who represented Lawrence in the House for the 2017-2018 session before launching a run for Congress and later serving as New England regional administrator of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
As the first secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, created by Healey shortly after taking office in 2023, the former state senator and Worcester city manager had been the point person on one of Healey’s top priorities — what she’s called “the number-one issue facing this state,” the dearth of housing options and the sky-high prices for housing that is available — and also was at the center of the administration’s efforts to manage an over-capacity emergency shelter system.
Augustus joined Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll in Pittsfield on Tuesday for a grant award announcement and press conference. When she introduced him, Driscoll called Augustus “the architect of so many of our housing programs, so many of our housing wins.” Healey’s office specifically credited his work on “the state’s most comprehensive housing legislation ever,” filing the state’s first-ever five-year housing plan, speeding up permitting processes, and overseeing the legalization of accessory dwelling units.
“Massachusetts’ housing crisis impacts every community, but we know what the solution is — build more housing and strengthen the systems that help people find stability at every stage,” the departing secretary said in a statement. “I’m deeply grateful to the talented, mission-driven public servants across HLC. This team delivered with creativity, rigor and heart, and I leave confident that HLC under Secretary Matias’ leadership will keep pushing forward to make housing more affordable and more available across Massachusetts.”
Augustus, who served as Worcester’s city manager from 2014 until 2022, represented the city in the Senate for two terms, from 2005 until 2008. His resume also includes stints as Congressman Jim McGovern’s chief of staff, in former President Bill Clinton’s U.S. Department of Education, as director of government and community relations for the College of the Holy Cross, and as a chancellor at Dean College in Franklin. He is also a member of the inaugural Worcester Red Sox Hall of Fame class.
As CEO of UniBank, Augustus will lead what the administration said is the largest bank based in Central Massachusetts. The bank says it serves more than 22,600 households with 14 bank locations.
At UniBank, Augustus will be replacing the retiring Michael Welch, who joined the bank in as CEO in 2019 after a decade and a half as headmaster of St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Augustus’s alma mater. Augustus is expected to start at the bank on March 2.
“Ed Augustus is a collaborative, results-driven leader with deep roots in Central Massachusetts and a strong record of public service,” Timothy Wickstrom, chairman of UniBank’s board of directors, said. “His substantive interaction with the business community throughout the Commonwealth, as well as his experience with cities and towns, makes him exceptionally well-suited for this position.”
Deputy Housing Secretary Jennifer Maddox will serve as interim secretary between Augustus’s departure at the end of next week and April 1, when Matias takes over as secretary.
“Under Governor Healey’s leadership, Massachusetts is already seeing more housing development across the state. We must continue increasing production while preserving affordability, working in partnership with local leaders, developers, advocates, and residents across the Commonwealth,” Matias said. “I have dedicated my career to serving the people of this state and I’ve seen the transformative impact that pro-growth housing policy can have on communities and economies.”
After giving up her seat in the Massachusetts House to run unsuccessfully for the seat in Congress that opened up when Niki Tsongas retired, Matias went to work as chief operating officer of Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC). In March 2022, President Joe Biden picked Matias to lead the HUD offices in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut as regional administrator.
In that job, the Healey administration said, Matias managed an $8.47 billion annual budget and oversaw grant and subsidy awards for 183,370 Housing Choice Voucher households, 59,004 public housing units, and 8,000 project-based rental properties.
Augustus is the eighth Cabinet secretary to leave during Healey’s term. Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca was the first to leave in September 2023. Since then, former Public Safety Secretary Terrence Reidy, Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao, Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh, Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago, and Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler have all stepped down.
Tutwiler departed last week and Salem Schools Superintendent Stephen Zrike Jr. is set to take over as education secretary next month.
Just five members of the Cabinet the governor began her term with about three years ago remain in their roles.
Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz told reporters last week that he intends to stay in his job through the remainder of 2026.
“That’s the plan,” he said when asked if he’d be around for the full year. “I serve at the pleasure of the governor. So unless she has other plans, I don’t have any.”
