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Luis Manuel Ramírez Named New MBTA General Manager

BOSTON (CBS) -- Luis Manuel Ramírez will be the next General Manager and CEO of the MBTA, Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack announced Tuesday.

The former General Electric executive will succeed Interim GM Steve Poftak on September 12.

"From Day One, we were looking for a candidate with a solid track record of leading large and complex organizations through transformation and change," said Pollack in a prepared statement. "His unique personal background, deep exposure to a range of challenges and constituencies, and proven leadership skills make Luis the right person to lead the MBTA as it continues to become the world-class transit agency our riders expect and deserve. With the support he'll have from the strong operational and other leadership already at the T, Luis will get up to speed very quickly."

At the announcement, Ramírez, 50, said improving the T will be a team effort.

"My job is to build upon the solid foundation of the people standing here," he said. "And help create a long term road map and plan to get us to fully transform the T into what it needs to be: a world-class transit system serving the people of a world-class city and Commonwealth."

He added, "No one should expect that this gets done in one year or two years."

His three-year contract comes with a $320,000 annual salary and two one-year mutual options to extend.

"As we continue to invest in and reform the MBTA, it is critical to have an experienced individual with turn-around experience at the helm working to improve service for riders," said Governor Charlie Baker in a statement. "Luis has a proven skill-set that I am sure will serve him well as he joins the team working toward meaningful reforms for commuters and taxpayers. Thank you, Steve Poftak, for your work improving operations at the T and I look forward to Luis joining Secretary Pollack's talented team."

President of the Boston Carmen's Union Local 589 Jimmy O'Brien, stated: "The MBTA has spent a lot of energy attacking its own employees, but if you ask riders if their experience is better, if their commutes are better, you will hear a resounding 'no.' If the Baker Administration is serious about improving the MBTA it needs to make real investments in the system's infrastructure– vehicles of all types, signals, and tracks. The MBTA needs strong leadership and stability, with a General Manager who empowers rather than attacks the people that try to keep this aging system running everyday. We hope that Mr. Ramírez provides the leadership the organization needs to move forward. If we all work together, we can bring Massachusetts the transportation system it deserves."

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Luis Manuel Ramírez at the announcement of his new position (WBZ-TV)

MassDOT said the South Florida native and son of a Cuban refugee started out with a bachelor's degree in computer science from the DeVry Institute of Technology and began his 11-year career at Siemens Global Businesses shortly thereafter.

Ramírez had been with GE from 2000 to 2012.

According to MassDOT, during his time there, he was responsible for 17,000 employees in 60 countries producing about $3.7 billion in annual revenue commitments

Most recently, Ramírez had been running his own business consulting firm, TodoModo Group, in Dallas.

He will be moving to Boston with his wife, Delia Garced, a vice president at GE Digital, and their two children.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports

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