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MassDevelopment named former Department of Revenue Commissioner Navjeet Bal to succeed Dan Rivera at the helm of the state’s economic development financing agency.
Bal is a former attorney at law firm Mintz who ran the state revenue agency under Gov. Deval Patrick from 2008 to 2011 and currently works as general counsel at Social Impact, a national nonprofit finance agency headquartered in Boston.
A search committee recommended Bal over an internal candidate, MassDevelopment board members said. The board voted unanimously to approve her appointment as executive director and president/CEO.
“Clearly she has a lengthy legal background, and this is not a legal job. This is a CEO job, and I think we did a pretty good job of discussing that with her,” MassDevelopment Board Vice Chair Brian Kavoogian said at a special meeting to vote on the appointment today. “ If you look at her background, there’s clearly an entrepreneurial bent to her career progression.”
Bal said she recognizes MassDevelopment’s role in supporting growth in rural areas and western Massachusetts that have lagged Greater Boston, but admitted she needs to understand key projects run by MassDevelopment such as the Devens business park.
“Part of it is just understanding what the organization does and therefore what its potential is,” she said in response to questions from board members.
Bal is scheduled to start Dec. 9.
“Navjeet’s strong experience in both the public and private sectors will enable MassDevelopment to meet the evolving needs of our state, and we look forward to working with her to drive innovative strategies to grow our economy,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.
Dan Rivera, the former mayor of Lawrence, resigned in April after three years at the helm of the state’s public finance economic development agency.
Rivera was appointed CEO of MassDevelopment by former Gov. Charlie Baker, and had his term extended in December 2022, shortly before Gov. Maura Healey took office.
Editor’s note: This report has been updated with a statement from Gov. Maura Healey.
