Carcieri called Williams "a tremendously effective leader" at the Department of Administration.

“In his current role at the Department of Administration and in his prior experience in both the public and private sectors, Jerry has excelled. He has significant financial experience administering large and complex contracts and managing complicated budgets,” Carcieri said in a statement.

“With an annual budget of $350 million, the DOT is responsible for the state’s infrastructure and intermodal transportation systems. This is an agency that requires a leader who can manage multi-faceted contracts and complicated financial issues,” Carcieri said. “Jerry is someone that I can count on to continue the success that the DOT has enjoyed over the past four years under Jim Capaldi in moving our state’s roads and rail systems forward.”

Williams served as a deputy director of the Department of Administration from 1991 to 1994. He also served as the deputy general treasurer for Rhode Island from 1986 to 1991 and town treasurer of Barrington from 1979 to 1986.

Williams was a senior vice president for FleetBoston Financial from 1994 to 2003.

“With the relocation of Route 195 – the state’s largest construction project in history – on its way and several other major transportation projects currently under way, it is critical that we have Jerry’s leadership at DOT," Carcieri said. "He understands how to make things happen and solve problems.”

Capaldi announced in early December that he would retire this month after more than 35 years with the state agency, the last three as its leader.

Capaldi, who recently turned 60, helped fuel the extraordinary burst of construction, particularly visible in Providence, by pushing a new-to-Rhode Island - some said risky - financing mechanism that made hundreds of millions of dollars available to the state government through borrowing.

He has presided over two of the DOT's more dramatic performances, the explosive demolition of the Jamestown Bridge, spread over several months this year, and the towing of the new Providence River Bridge arch up Narragansett Bay on barges in August.

But Capaldi also endured some embarrassments - seemingly endless delays on projects, including the Point Street overpass over Route 95 in Providence and the replacement of the Barrington River Bridge in Barrington, and expensive settlements with contractors because of design problems - but nothing that derailed the main construction program.