Massachusetts Convention Center Authority director David Gibbons testifies to state legislators on Jan. 28, 2020. Photo by Sam Doran | State House News Service / File

David Gibbons is out as Massachusetts Convention Center Authority’s executive director following an eight-year tenure that attracted recent criticism of management’s handling of real estate development and diversity efforts.

Gibbons’ resignation is effective Dec. 1, according to a statement released this morning by the MCCA.

“During this transition to new leadership, the board will continue its critical work to foster diversity, equity and inclusion at the MCCA,” Board Chair Emme Handy said in the statement. “The board intends to appoint an interim executive director to ensure that the MCCA continues to provide the same level of service to which visitors and guests are accustomed.”

The Boston Globe first reported Gibbons’ exit, which was described as a “mutual decision.”

The MCCA board of directors last week shelved a potential vote to designate a developer for a pair of parcels near the Boston Exhibition and Convention Center, after Chair Emme Handy criticized management’s handling of the selection process.

Two Boston development teams, led by Cronin Group and Boston Global Investors, are seeking the nod to develop 6 acres of vacant land on D and E Streets.

Critics objected to the accelerated pace of the agency’s initial offering last spring, prompting the MCCA to rebid the parcels during the summer. The two development teams resubmitted proposals in September, including 1.6 million square feet of commercial space by Cronin Group and 1.1 million square feet by BGI.

In an agenda posting last week, MCCA staff recommended the board select Cronin Group, which developed the St. Regis Boston Seaport luxury condominium tower and received approval in 2022 for a 236,000-square-foot lab building at 24 Drydock Ave.

Boston Global Investors led the largest master-planned development in the early stages of the Seaport District building boom, the Seaport Square project spanning 20 blocks, and is developing the 10 World Trade office-lab tower at 401 Congress St.

The board postponed a vote after Handy said it lacked sufficient information on how the request for proposals originated or how staff evaluated the bidders.

The agency also was criticized for discrimination against Black and Hispanic employees in a report by law firm Prince Lobel Tye released in October.

A former manager of the Taj Boston hotel, Gibbons was named MCCA executive director in 2015. Under Gibbons’ leadership, the MCCA expanded hotel development near the BCEC including development of the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport on a parcel across from the convention center.

The agency also has sought to sell the Hynes Convention Center in Back Bay to a private developer and use the proceeds to expand the BCEC. The proposal drew opposition from Back Bay business groups and stalled in the state legislature.