Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Leo Roy Announces Retirement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

9/17/2019

BOSTON — After more than three and a half years leading the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Commissioner Leo Roy today announced his retirement from state service effective Friday, September 27, 2019.  

“Commissioner Roy has worked tirelessly on behalf of the Commonwealth, and I thank him for his service and his efforts to ensure the public benefited greatly from a first-class state parks system,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides. “Both his professional experience and knowledge of environmental issues made him a tremendous asset, and I appreciate what he was able to accomplish while serving as DCR commissioner.”

In December 2015, Commissioner Roy was tapped by the Baker-Polito Administration to lead the more than 450,000-acre state parks system, which includes parks, forests, reservations, pools, beaches, watershed lands, rinks, and thousands of miles of trails. Before joining the DCR, Roy served as Massachusetts Undersecretary of Environmental Affairs from 1992 to 1997, and was most recently a Principal of an infrastructure planning, design, engineering, and environmental firm.

“Leading the Department of Conservation and Recreation has been a great honor and a privilege, and I thank Governor Baker, Lt. Governor Polito, and Secretary Theoharides for the opportunity to serve as the department’s commissioner,” said DCR Commissioner Leo Roy. “The DCR improves the quality of life for so many citizens and visitors, and I am humbled to have been able to work with such a passionate and dedicated staff, which truly care for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ invaluable natural, cultural, and recreational resources.”

Under Commissioner Roy’s leadership, the Department of Conservation and Recreation improved the efficiency of operations with an emphasis on safety, acquired and preserved over 10,000 acres of land, improved state campgrounds, such as Massasoit State Park, Wellfleet Hollow, Shawme Crowell, Salisbury, and Windsor, opened the Visitor Center at Walden Pond State Reservation, restored the Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey and constructed new maintenance facilities at North Point Park and Revere Beach Reservation.

Additionally, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Theoharides has named Jim Montgomery, who currently serves as the DCR’s Director of Administration & Finance, as the agency’s interim commissioner. Montgomery will lead the DCR during the transition period until a permanent commissioner has been announced, which is expected soon.

“I am honored to serve as Interim Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and I appreciate the Baker-Polito Administration for providing me with this great opportunity,” said Jim Montgomery. “I am excited to work closely with Secretary Theoharides to protect, promote, and enhance the state’s many incredible resources.”

Jim Montgomery, Interim Commissioner, Department of Conservation and Recreation

Jim Montgomery joined the Baker-Polito Administration in 2016 as Director of Administration & Finance for the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Prior to that time, Montgomery served in the same capacity for the City of Boston’s Emergency Medical Services (Boston EMS), and previously served as the Mayor of Taylorville, Illinois from 1997 to 2005.

Montgomery received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Millikin University, and a Master in Public Administration (MPA) from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. 

Originally from Central Illinois, Montgomery and his wife, Elizabeth, are the parents of four adult children and reside in the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston.

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