Ferd Kelley has been elected chair of the South Eastern Economic Development Corp. (SEED).

SEED, located in Taunton, provides financing and technical assistance to small businesses in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

"It is a pleasure to welcome Ferd Kelley as the new SEED chair. Ferd has served as SEED vice chair for the last three years, and on the SEED board of directors for 17 years. He has been a great supporter of SEED for many years while serving as executive vice president for Rockland Trust Co.," said Maria Gooch-Smith, SEED’s executive director.

At its annual meeting, SEED members also elected 40 new directors and officers. In addition to Kelley, Richard Shafer of Taunton Economic Development Director and Gerard Nadeau of Rockland Trust Co. were named vice chairs; William Barnes of Citizens Bank was named treasurer; Robert Howard Jr. of Bank of Fall River was named assistant treasurer; William Lewis of Bristol County Savings Bank was named clerk; Roy Nascimento of New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce was named assistant clerk; and James McEvoy of TD Bank was named past chair.

SEED also presented the "Banker of the Year" award to Wayne Carvalho, vice president of First Citizens Federal Credit Union, according to a statement.