The Massachusetts Development Finance Agency approved the appointment of Lauren Liss to president and chief executive.
Liss had previously served as Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection commissioner. She began with that agency in 1999, overseeing the development, implementation and enforcement of air, water, waste and site cleanup policy for the commonwealth.
She also worked for the state at the executive office of transportation and construction and most recently as a lawyer at the firm Rubin and Rudman LLP.
“Lauren’s background in both the private and public sectors makes her well-suited to lead MassDevelopment,” said Executive Office of Housing and Urban Development secretary and MassDevelopment board chairman Jay Ash. “Her management and policy expertise will help her oversee MassDevelopment in its efforts to grow the commonwealth's economy.”
Liss is expected to start her new job Sept. 5.
MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions and communities to stimulate economic growth statewide. In fiscal 2016, MassDevelopment financed or managed more than 350 projects that brought over $4 billion into the Massachusetts economy.
“I welcome the new challenges that this exciting position will entail,” Liss said in a statement.
