By Sam Drysdale, State House News Service
John Barros, a businessman and former economic development chief under former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, was appointed to lead the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority last Friday (Jan. 9).
The State House News Service had previously reported that Barros, a Dorchester resident, was in line for the job, and the MCCA board confirmed his appointment as interim executive director and CEO during an afternoon meeting by a 13-0 vote. He will begin next week on a one-year term as interim CEO.
Board Chair Emme Handy said she was “enthusiastic” about Barros as a candidate.
“He brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across public, private, and nonprofit sectors,” Handy said. “His career has been deeply focused on economic development, equitable growth community impacts, much of which he did through his role as chief of economic development for the City of Boston from 2014 to 2021 where he also led the creation of a consolidated Economic Development Cabinet.
“During his tenure with the city, he advanced initiatives to create jobs, he strengthened tourism and trained the workforce, and revitalized Boston neighborhoods. He contributed to the addition of 140,000 new jobs citywide.”
Barros is currently the managing principal at Civitas Builders. He has served as the executive director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative and as a principal at real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield. He ran unsuccessful campaigns for mayor of Boston in 2013 and 2021.
Board member Cindy Brown said she felt his “positive attitude” would be “really great for unifying staff at MCCA.” Several members spoke about working with Barros in his public and private roles.
The MCCA has had significant leadership turnover in recent years and turmoil amidst allegations of racial discrimination, corruption and mismanagement of public funds.
“I know we have other conversations to have around how we move forward long-term, and I think that he’s someone that will provide some needed stability,” said member Sheena Collier. “This role is a lot of stakeholder management in working with a lot of different constituencies, and I think I’ve seen John do that time and time again.”
