Mass. Megaproject Boss Credits MET with Career Success

Luisa Paiewonsky (MET’96) has a big job. In fact, as the executive director of megaprojects for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you might say she’s got the biggest one around. A Master of City Planning alum, she’s currently managing two $500 million assignments for the state: first, she’s tasked with overseeing the construction of two new bridges to Cape Cod; she is also responsible for erecting a new “West Station” in Allston that will act as a hub for buses and trains along the Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line and which will be situated nearby to where lanes of the Massachusetts Turnpike will be lowered from their current elevation.

An appointee of Governor Maura Healey, Paiewonsky has worked both in the US Department of Transportation and, before that, with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). It was when she was at MassDOT that Paiewonsky pursued her BU MET education, which she discussed during a recent interview with Bostonia.

“I chose MET because it offered the opportunity to attend classes at night while working full-time at MassDOT,” she said. “Studying there helped me understand my profession much better, to take my day-to-day practical experience and understand the theoretical and academic underpinnings of the profession.”

As Paiewonsky sees it, her BU MET degree turned out to be pivotal to her professional growth.

“When I had the degree, I subsequently became the director of transportation planning at MassDOT,” she said. “The degree helped propel me forward in my career.”

Students in BU MET’s Master of City Planning program establish a comprehensive foundation in urban policy, design, and sustainable development, emerging equipped not only with technical skills but also with the insight and adaptability to navigate the complex social, economic, and environmental factors shaping today’s cities, helping them to become resilient, equitable communities.