A former executive at a New York-based development firm has been brought aboard by MassDevelopment to lead the quasi-public agency’s real estate efforts.
Sandi Wolchansky Silk is now MassDevelopment’s executive vice president of real estate. She joins the agency from MURAL Real Estate Partners, a New York City firm focused on mixed-income, mixed-use developments, where she served as senior vice president and head of development.
MassDevelopment has supported projects in Central Massachusetts such as Worcester Housing Authority’s Lakeside Apartment overhaul, which received a $38-million, tax-exempt bond. The agency announced in February it would be establishing a Transformative Development Initiative in Fitchburg to support the growth of the city’s Downtown.
“Throughout my career, I have partnered closely with municipalities, state agencies, and community stakeholders to advance catalytic projects through strong public-private collaboration,” Silk said in a Feb. 18 press release from MassDevelopment.
Silk replaces Tania Hartford in this role. Hartford left MassDevelopment in May 2024, according to her LinkedIn profile, going on to found 429 Development, a real estate development and advisory firm based in Newburyport. Hartford departed MassDevelopment shortly after agency then-president and CEO Dan Rivera abruptly resigned in April 2024. Navjeet Bal was appointed as his replacement in November 2024.
Silk has prior experience at other real estate and development firms, including Virginia-based Jefferson Apartment Group and Maryland-based Federal Realty Investment Trust. She formerly served as a project manager with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and holds a MBA and master of urban planning from the University of Washington.
“We are thrilled to bring experienced real estate leader Sandi Wolchansky Silk on board to guide this work and maximize our impact across Massachusetts,” Bal said in the press release.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.
