President
James F. O'Leary — President
James F. O’Leary, President and owner of ACI, has over 40 years of executive management experience in the design, operation, maintenance and financing of multi-modal passenger transit systems.
Prior to co-founding ACI, Mr. O’Leary served as General Manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 1981 to 1989. With an annual $600 million operating budget, the MBTA was then the fifth largest public transportation agency in the United States and the largest public agency in New England, serving 650,000 daily riders with a workforce of 8,000 employees. During his tenure, Mr. O’Leary worked with two Massachusetts Governors to implement an aggressive modernization and service expansion program of America’s oldest subway system, including hundreds of new and rebuilt vehicles; modernized stations; significantly increased service capacity; enhanced passenger security, and improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities. Throughout Mr. O’Leary’s tenure at the MBTA, the agency controlled and lowered costs through rigorous adherence to budgetary objectives.
Mr. O’Leary also served as General Manager of Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR) between August, 2006 and October, 2008. MBCR, a partnership among ACI and two other major transit companies, operated and maintained the MBTA commuter rail system from 2003 to 2014.
Earlier in his career, Mr. O’Leary held a number of high profile federal and state government positions. He was a transportation aide to U.S. Rep. Joseph Moakley, then dean of the Massachusetts delegation, where he steered numerous projects through the planning and development process, including Rep. Moakley's successful effort to secure over $700 million in federal monies for the city's Southwest Corridor Rail Project.
As Deputy Cabinet Secretary and General Counsel for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Construction, Mr. O’Leary assisted with oversight of the state’s various transportation and construction agencies. There, he helped to develop policy on private bus and rail services and provision of public transit in Boston and across the state.
He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Government from the University of Massachusetts and a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School.
Mr. O’Leary’s extensive experience in the operations and maintenance of rail and bus service has been a major factor in ACI’s growth as a provider of multimodal transportation operations, maintenance and management services for both public and private clients. He has first-hand knowledge of the fiscal and operational challenges facing transit managers and strives to bring private sector efficiencies to the successful management of transit systems within public sector constraints.
