MassDevelopment head to depart
Courtesy/State of Massachusetts
Marty Jones has headed the state's development agency since 2011 but will step down in June.
The longtime head of the state's economic development and financing agency will leave in June after a divided MassDevelopment Board of Directors voted Thursday not to renew her contract.
Marty Jones, who was hired in April 2011 under former Gov. Deval Patrick to become the CEO of MassDevelopment, left her career in private development as the president of Corcoran Jennison in Boston to lead the state finance and development authority.
MassDevelopment works with businesses, non-profits, financial institutions and communities to boost jobs and housing and foster economic development, and in fiscal 2016 managed 352 projects that are projected to create 8,200 jobs and rehabilitate 4,200 residential units.
The last item on the agenda for a MassDevelopment Board meeting Thursday was an executive session discussion about "agency leaderhip." The board voted 8-3 not to extend Jones, according to the Baker administration, meaning she will leave after June 30 when her current contract expires.
"The Baker-Polito Administration is deeply thankful for Marty Jones' years of service to the Commonwealth. Marty has led MassDevelopment with integrity and vision, and has been a partner in our work to grow jobs, build affordable housing, and redevelop Gateway Cities. We wish her the best in her next endeavor," said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash, who chairs the board of directors.
The Baker administration adamantly pushed back against the suggestion that Jones had been fired by the governor, but would not provide any reason for why Jones's contract was not extended or indicate whether Jones had expressed a desire to move on.
A spokeswoman for MassDevelopment referred questions about the meeting back to the administration.
Jones started her career at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, working in Washington and Boston on planning and financing multifamily housing developments.
The board will now have to conduct a search for Jones's replacement. In 2011, Jones was hired at a salary of $215,000, and currently earns $238,000 a year. Jones's predecessor Robert Culver earned $299,000 a year before Patrick moved to trim the compensation of several highly-paid quasi-agency executives.
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