Stephen Tocco

chairman, MA Board of Higher Education

Steve is the President and CEO of ML Strategies, where he manages a team of consultants in Boston and Washington D.C. and advises a range of clients from Fortune 100 companies to entrepreneurs on a wide range of issues. He also currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Massachusetts. Steve was Chairman of the Board of Higher Education in Massachusetts from 1999 to 2006. From 1993 to 1997, Steve served as Executive Director and CEO of the Massachusetts Port Authority. Prior to that, he was Massachusetts Secretary of Economic Affairs and also served as Special Assistant to both Governor William Weld and Governor Paul Cellucci. As one of Governor Weld's and Governor Cellucci's most trusted advisors, he earned a reputation as an aggressive problem-solver and strategist. During his years of service to the Commonwealth, he was involved in a host of major growth initiatives, including the new Fleet Center, the state track facility and many bio-chemical development projects. Prior to entering state government, Steve founded his own public-sector consulting firm, and served as president of The Strategy Group, the management consulting arm of a public accounting firm. Steve earned a B.S. degree in pharmacy and chemistry from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. He was awarded a CSS for graduate work in administration and management from Harvard University (1989). Steve also received an honorary Ph.D. in humane letters from Nichols College (2001).