Former Amesbury Mayor Thatcher Kezer to Join MassDevelopment as Senior Vice President of Devens
February 18, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Mark Sternman, MassDevelopment, 617-330-2034 & 617-780-6186 (cell)
msternman@massdevelopment.com
MassDevelopment is pleased to announce that former Amesbury Mayor Thatcher Kezer will join MassDevelopment beginning March 2 to serve as Senior Vice President of Devens. In this role, Kezer will serve as the lead staff person of MassDevelopment in Devens with oversight of its Departments of Public Safety (including Fire and Police), Public Works, Recreation, and Utilities.
“Thanks to his time with the UMass-Boston Collins Center, Amesbury, Beverly, the Massachusetts Municipal Association, and the Commonwealth, Thatcher Kezer will bring a wealth of experience and expertise to Devens,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Marty Jones. “I am confident that Kezer's acumen will help Devens continue to grow as a vibrant community, and that residents of Devens and the Nashoba Valley will find him savvy and personable.”
Since July, Kezer has worked as an Associate at the Edward J. Collins Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts at Boston to help municipalities throughout the Commonwealth become more efficient and effective. As Mayor of Amesbury for eight years, Kezer won the Kenneth E. Pickard Municipal Innovation Award for the development of AmesStat, a performance-management system. A Lieutenant Colonel in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, Kezer chairs the Community and Municipal Support Committee of the Massachusetts Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force; MassDevelopment has helped to staff the Task Force.
“I am excited to join the MassDevelopment team and help to make Devens an even better place for residents and businesses,” said Kezer. “I look forward to getting to know the people of Devens and its neighboring communities.”
Located in north-central Massachusetts and managed by MassDevelopment, Devens hosts businesses, government organizations, and nonprofits employing more than 4,000 people. Created by statute in 1993 to support business growth and attract economic development opportunities in the region, the 4,400-acre site features fast-track permitting and other incentives for businesses. The former military installation is recognized today as a national model for military base redevelopment. Along with its business tenants, the Devens community also includes more than 2,100 acres of recreation and open space, private residences, schools, and a network of human and social services providers.
MassDevelopment, the state's finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2014, MassDevelopment financed or managed 314 projects generating investment of more than $2.9 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are projected to create more than 6,300 jobs and build or rehabilitate more than 1,600 residential units.
