Boston – MassDevelopment announced that after three years as president and CEO, Lauren A. Liss will step down from this position at the end of the calendar year. Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, who serves as chairman of the board of directors of MassDevelopment, will lead the search for the next head of the state’s finance and development agency.
Governor Charlie Baker appointed and the board approved Liss to lead MassDevelopment (formally the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency) in 2017, where she first served under former board chair Jay Ash and current chair, Secretary Kennealy.
In fiscal year 2020, MassDevelopment financed or managed 341 projects generating investment of more than $2.69 billion in the Massachusetts economy. As president and CEO, Liss expanded its work in Gateway Cities through an array of finance programs and real estate services – such as the Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) and Commonwealth Places program – and oversaw tremendous growth at Devens, MassDevelpment’s iconic mixed-use redevelopment of the former Fort Devens.
This year, under Liss’ leadership and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, MassDevelopment pivoted programs and tools to support small businesses in some of the state’s hardest-hit communities and aid in economic recovery.
MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth.
