A Suffolk Superior Court judge has been promoted to chief justice of the statewide superior court system.

On Thursday, Massachusetts Trial Court Chief Justice Jeffrey A. Locke announced that he had appointed Suffolk Superior Court Judge Michael D. Ricciuti as chief justice of the Superior Court for a five-year term. His term will begin on Dec. 22.

“He has the leadership and management skills needed to succeed in this role,” Locke said of Ricciuti, adding that his “legal acumen, judicial temperament, and interpersonal skills will successfully guide his leadership.

“He is highly respected and trusted by his colleagues who appreciate that he works collaboratively and leads by example and consensus,” Locke continued.

Ricciuti, who graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and with cum laude honors from Harvard law, began his legal career in 1987 as a law clerk for Judge A. David Mazzone in the U.S. District Court, according to a state biography. He was appointed by then-Gov. Charlie Baker to the Superior Court in 2017. He has served in five counties, serves six-month rotations in the Business Litigation Session, and oversees the Massachusetts Asbestos Litigation docket, which includes hundreds of cases statewide.

“I am honored by Chief Justice Locke’s confidence in me, and by the support of my colleagues,” Ricciuti said in a statement. “I look forward to working with incoming Trial Court Chief Justice Heidi Brieger and continuing her exemplary stewardship of the Superior Court.”

Locke, who has served in his position since January of last year, is himself on the way out this month, having reached mandatory retirement age. The Supreme Judicial Court designated the Honorable Heidi E. Brieger as his successor. Her term as chief justice of the Trial Court system will also begin on Dec. 22.