John Nucci | Massport Board

John A. Nucci spent more than 30 years in public service before becoming a leading administrator at Suffolk University, where he is senior vice president of External Affairs.

In this role he oversees facilities planning, real estate and institutional expansion, media relations, communications, and has worked successfully with the city of Boston and neighborhood groups to integrate campus life into the city in a way that benefits all stakeholders.

Nucci first joined Suffolk University in 1992 as an instructor of Public Management in the Sawyer Business School, sharing the knowledge gained from his extensive government experience with students in the classroom and taking on administrative tasks. He was named a vice president of the University in 2005.

His career as an elected official began when Nucci served six years on the Boston School Committee, including four years as president. His efforts on the committee and in the community were recognized by the federal district court in as a reason for restored confidence in city and school leadership.

Nucci went on to serve two terms as a Boston city councilor, elected citywide. He continued his longtime efforts – begun when he served as director of Action for Boston Community Development and other social service agencies earlier in his career – to build consensus and coalitions that produced positive results for city initiatives. He was elected to two terms as clerk-magistrate of the Suffolk County Criminal Superior Court, where he managed budget, personnel and external relations.

As an alumnus of Suffolk University, Nucci is particularly aware of the University’s needs, but, as a former elected official, he also is finely tuned to the needs of the city and the neighborhoods surrounding the campus.

He has worked closely with community groups and the city on new campus development projects and led a complete transformation of Suffolk's campus footprint in downtown Boston including a residence hall at 10 West St., which opened in January 2008, and the 2010 restoration of the historic Modern Theatre, which functions as a theater, gallery and residence hall. He led the sale of Suffolk's buildings on residential Beacon Hill as well as the successful approval process for a flagship academic building at 20 Somerset Street, which opened its doors in September, 2015.

Nucci has served the community as board member and trustees chair of Urban College of Boston; board member and chair of the East Boston Community Development Corporation; board member of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, The Downtown Crossing Business Improvement District (BID), The Freedom Trail Foundation and the Garden of Peace.

In December of 2015, Nucci was named by Boston Mayor Martin Walsh as a representative of the City of Boston to the Massachusetts Port Authority Community Advisory Committee (MASSPORT CAC).

He is a lifelong resident of East Boston. Nucci received a BAS in 1974 from Boston College and an MPA in 1979 from Suffolk University, where he was inducted into Pi Alpha Alpha, the National Honor Society for Public Administrators. He is a 1970 graduate of Boston Latin School.

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