Garrett Eucalitto has been appointed as the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT). He will begin his second term in office early next year. Eucalitto will succeed Joseph Giulietti, who intends to leave state service at the conclusion of the governor’s first term.
“With the recent passage of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Connecticut is set to receive a historic level of federal funding dedicated to revitalizing our transportation system, and our administration is committed to aggressively using this once-in-a-generation opportunity to rehabilitate our roads, bridges and transit in a way that is focused on moving people and goods as seamlessly and efficiently as possible,” said Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont. “Garrett has the bold vision and leadership capability to move these projects forward in a way that best benefits the people and businesses of our state. I am grateful for Joe Giulietti’s service as commissioner during my first term. Joe and his team have made tremendous progress over the past four years enhancing our transportation infrastructure, rebuilding our roads, highways, and bridges and increasing and improving rail service. Because of the department’s record of success delivering transportation projects during Joe’s tenure, Connecticut is punching above its weight in winning competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation. With his peers in the eight states along the Northeast Corridor, Joe worked with our Congressional delegation and the Biden administration to secure the most significant federal investment in generations for this crucial transportation artery that is vital to our economy and the entire economy of the Northeast.”
Eucalitto is currently deputy commissioner of CTDOT, a position that he has held since January 2020. Prior to obtaining his current role, he was the transportation program director for the National Governors Association (NGA) in Washington, DC. In this capacity, he was responsible for assisting the nation’s 55 governors (states, territories, and commonwealths) in advancing their policy objectives in transportation, including combating impaired driving and improving safety on the roadways, the implementation of innovative financing tools, transit-oriented development, increasing electrification of the transportation sector and reviewing autonomous vehicle legislation and regulations.
Before joining the NGA, Eucalitto was undersecretary for comprehensive planning and intergovernmental policy for the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management during the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. In this position, he researched, evaluated and developed transportation, environmental and regional planning initiatives.
He began his career working in Washington, DC on the staff of former Sen. Joe Lieberman for six years as his legislative assistant, covering appropriations, transportation and infrastructure. In this role, he advocated for Connecticut’s transportation needs at the federal level, led efforts to protect Long Island Sound and improve the state’s air quality and environmental assets, worked to secure the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and collaborated with CTDOT to secure annual appropriations and discretionary funding.
Eucalitto earned a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross and a master’s degree from Boston University. He is a native of Torrington and currently lives in New Haven.
“There is no one in Connecticut, in the northeast, and arguably the nation, who knows more about passenger rail than Joe Giulietti, and I have been blessed to learn alongside him the past three years,” Eucalitto said. “They say true leaders don’t just know the way – they show the way – and Joe has shown me and countless others the way through challenging times, including a pandemic, to advance historic changes in transportation in our state. We will forever be grateful for his guidance and leadership. I am honored by Gov. Lamont’s faith in me to lead CTDOT into this next chapter. I look forward to continuing to work alongside my talented CTDOT colleagues in advancing a better, safer and more sustainable transportation system in Connecticut for this generation and the next.”
