The following comes from Barney Heath, director of planning and development:
After serving in the position since February of 2014, Nancy Hyde has decided to move on from her position as Director of Economic Development. We are proud of the many accomplishments that have occurred during her time with the City, including: collaboration with Mass Challenge and CIC, Newton Innovation Center at Newton Corner, creating a strategic plan of N2 Innovation District with key partners the Newton Needham Chamber Commerce and the Town of Needham, and the successful passage of the mixed-used development at Austin Street and general outreach to businesses in Newton. The Administration and the Department of Planning and Development wish Nancy well in her future pursuits and are grateful for her contributions to the City of Newton.
Through my work on the EDC and on the N-Squared Innovation District, I’ve had an opportunity to work closely with Nancy. She is a pleasure to work with, a true professional who brought experience and intelligence the role. She impressed me every day.
She will be missed and I hope that whoever comes next can rise to her level.
I am really sorry to learn this. Nancy is bright and talented, and will be missed. Another one bites the dust……
Nancy’s departure is a true loss to the city. I had the honor to serve with Nancy when I was the chair of the EDC and on the N2 project, and she was by far the most capable, talented, and proactive local economic development director I have ever worked with. I wish her best and her next efforts, and whoever her replacement is has quite the legacy to build upon. I do hope that the city moves with urgency to hire a new economic development director and is able to find someone with the talent and commitment equal to that which Nancy brought to the position.
Nancy was everything Newton could have hoped for as its first economic development director. She arrived at a time when the city had a reputation as not always being business friendly and constantly made herself available when businesses large or small needed help navigating their way through our complex permitting process or other matters. It also seemed liked she was present at every important meeting, event and ribbon cutting. Our business community is really going to miss her quiet diplomacy and her tenacity.
This position is funded using a portion of the city’s hotel and meals tax revenue and this position and I second the call for the city to move “with urgency” to hire our next economic development director.