iStock photo
After announcing in the morning that she was leaving her job as head of the Alliance for Business Leadership for “a new opportunity supporting Massachusetts’ growing clean energy industry,” former representative Jennifer Benson was announced Monday afternoon as the newest principal at a high-powered lobbying firm.
Several prominent real estate industry figures are part of the ABL, which seeks to offer a “progressive” business-focused voice to Beacon Hill legislators.
Robert Travaglini, the former Senate president who owns Travaglini, Scorzoni & Kiley, said that Benson, who served 11 years in the Massachusetts House from 2009 to 2020, will help the lobbying shop expand its areas of expertise.
“Jen Benson is a highly regarded leader and we are thrilled to have her join our team,” he said. “She is the perfect fit for us, given her deep experience in state government, as well as her extensive ties to the state’s business community. As a statewide leader on climate policy and job creation, she is the perfect fit to help expand upon our firm’s expertise and to help serve our client’s growing needs.”
Benson said that she considered the lobbyists at Travaglini, Scorzoni & Kiley “a critical resource” during her elected tenure in the House and he three years running ABL.
“I am thrilled to begin my new chapter with Travaglini, Scorzoni, and Kiley. I have always admired their straightforwardness and unsurpassed expertise,” Benson said in a statement. She added, “I am truly honored to join this highly respected firm where I hope to add value and continue to contribute to the renewable energy ecosystem in Massachusetts.”
Benson’s decision to step down as the head of ABL comes days after she was announced as part of Gov.-elect Maura Healey’s transition committee focused on jobs and the economy, and is likely to stir up talk of a potential role in the new administration. Healey was elected nearly a month ago but has not yet named members of her Cabinet or executive team.
“The time has come to move on to a new challenge and I am excited about the opportunity to leverage my experience at ABL to continue working on my lifelong passion of protecting our environment and creating economic opportunity through renewable energy innovation, policy, and business development,” Benson said in a statement released Monday by ABL. “I look forward to supporting ABL as they bring in a new generation of leadership in the Massachusetts business community and am proud to continue my involvement as a member of this impactful organization.”
