Press Release  Trial Court Announces Appointment of New Chief Financial Officer

BOSTON, MA — Trial Court Chief Justice Paula Carey and Trial Court Administrator John Bello today announced the appointment of Thomas Simard as the Trial Court’s Chief Financial Officer effective October 25, 2021.

Mr. Simard most recently served as the Deputy Commissioner for Administration and Finance for the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. Since 2017, he was responsible for the fiscal, information technology, human resources, and other business services for the Board of Higher Education, which provides coordination and policy oversight for the Massachusetts Community College and State University systems.

From 2014 to 2017, as Assistant Commissioner of Administration & Finance for the Department of Developmental Services, Mr. Simard managed the fiscal and administrative operations of a $1.9 billion human services agency, which supports 37,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Previously, he served as Chief Financial Officer for MassHealth, the Commonwealth’s $15 billion health plan, and as Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Youth Services. He also spent 11 years as an Assistant Secretary for Administration & Finance at the Department of Housing and Community Development, earning a Manuel Carballo Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Service during that time for co-creating an emergency housing program.

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Mr. Simard served in the U.S. Army as a Platoon Leader, then as Executive Officer for the 4^th Infantry Division’s Armored Calvary unit. He is also a past president of the West Point Society of New England.

In addition to his degree from West Point, Mr. Simard holds a master’s degree in business administration from Southern New Hampshire University, and a master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

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