Stephen CrosbySTATE HOUSE, BOSTON, DEC. 13, 2011…. Stephen Crosby will be introduced Tuesday as Gov. Deval Patrick’s pick to chair the new Gaming Commission as the governor turns to a veteran Beacon Hill power broker to helm the board that will wield broad authority over the expansion of gambling in Massachusetts.

Patrick is expected to announce his selection at a noon press conference outside his State House office, putting in place the first of five new gaming commissioners who will control the selection of winning bidders for three resort-style casino licenses and one slots-only parlor.

Crosby currently works as dean of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at UMass Boston, and worked as the secretary of administration and finance under Gov. Paul Cellucci and chief of staff to Gov. Jane Swift.

“Steve Crosby possesses the integrity and strong management skills we need to lead the new Gaming Commission,” said Gov. Patrick in a statement. “I trust Steve to build an organization that meets the public’s high expectations and my own for integrity and professionalism. I look forward to working with the attorney general and treasurer on the remaining appointments.”

Crosby helped lead the Patrick administration’s budget and finance transition team in 2006, and later was tapped in 2009 by Patrick to lead a review of executive compensation at the state’s quasi-public agencies.

In 2010, Crosby was picked by the Supreme Judicial Court to serve on a task force to review hiring practices in the state courts and the embattled Probation Department.

“It will be up to me and the Commission to assure both the public and the participants in the gaming industry that the process for developing expanding gaming in Massachusetts is honest, transparent and fair,” Crosby said in a statement. “The Commonwealth and its residents have much to gain, most particularly in the creation of jobs.”

Under the new law, the commission must be bipartisan, with no more than three members representing the same political party. The full commission must be appointed by March 21, 2012.

Attorney General Martha Coakley and Treasurer Steven Grossman are also each authorized to name one appointee, and the remaining two commissioners are to be jointly selected by Patrick, Coakley and Grossman.

The state has already issued a solicitation for search firms to help with the selection of the two jointly-picked commissioners.

According to the Cellucci administration, Crosby worked for Republican party figures such as U.S. Rep. Margaret Heckler, Gov. Frank Sargent, Lt. Gov. Donald R. Dwight and Congressional candidate Martin Linsky. Crosby also worked as campaign manager for Kevin White's successful mayoral reelection bid in Boston.

Crosby, who succeeded Andrew Natsios as Cellucci’s budget chief, earned his bachelor's degree from Harvard College in 1967 and his Juris Doctor from the Boston University School of Law in 1972.