Public-sector strategist
Paul Nolan
I work at the intersection of strategy, performance, and public service, helping organizations turn ambitious plans into action.
I’m currently Deputy Director of Strategic Planning at the MBTA, where I work on long-term strategy and organizational priorities for the region’s public transportation system.
- 01Strategy
- 02Priorities
- 03Decisions
- 04Resources
- 05Actions
- 06Results
What I work on
Strategic planning
Turning long-term goals into clear priorities, decisions, and action.
Government performance
Building the systems, measures, and routines that help public organizations deliver.
Public-sector transformation
Helping institutions adapt, modernize, and work differently.
Government branding
Thinking about how visual design affects government programs and services.
Governments are good at making plans. The harder part is changing what happens after the plan is published.
— Paul Nolan
More about meCareer trajectory
- MBTA2025–present, 1 year so far. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority: the public transit system serving Boston and the surrounding region, one of the largest transit agencies in the country.
- AmeriCorps2020–2025, 5 years. AmeriCorps: the U.S. federal agency for national service and volunteering.
- Office of Management and Budget2023 (detail), 7 months. Office of Management and Budget: the office in the Executive Office of the President that develops the federal budget and oversees how agencies are managed.
- Harvard Kennedy School2022–2024, 2 years. Harvard Kennedy School: Harvard University’s graduate school of public policy and government.
- Fulbright, Norway2019–2020, 1 year. Fulbright Norway: the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program, run in Norway by the U.S.–Norway Fulbright Foundation.
- Institute for Emerging Issues2017–2019, 2 years. Institute for Emerging Issues: a “think and do tank” at NC State University working on the issues that shape North Carolina’s future.