Mike Kennealy Named Incoming Secretary of Housing and Economic Development

On Tuesday, December 18, Governor Baker named Mike Kennealy as the incoming Secretary of Housing and Economic Development as current Secretary Jay Ash announced his departure from the Administration.

Mike Kennealy joined the Baker-Polito Administration in 2015 as Assistant Secretary for Business Growth in the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. As Assistant Secretary, Kennealy has worked to advance the Administration’s strategy for job creation and business development across the entire Commonwealth.

Kennealy began his career in private equity at TA Associates, a Boston-based firm. In 1997, he joined Spectrum Equity, a private equity firm founded. After his career in private equity, Kennealy spent two years as Special Advisor to the Receiver at Lawrence Public Schools, where he worked with the state-appointed superintendent/receiver on strategic and financial initiatives to support the school district’s turnaround plan.

CHAPA looks forward to working with incoming Secretary Kennealy on important affordable housing and community development priorities for Massachsuetts. 

CHAPA thanks Secretary Ash for his commitment to housing and economic development. Under Secretary Ash's leadership, we worked together to pass the $1.8 billion housing bond bill, the largest bond bill in the state's history. We also achieved increases to key tax credit programs for affordable housing and community development, including growing the state Low Income Housing Tax Credit, the Community Investment Tax Credit, and the state Historic Tax Credit.

During his tenure at EOHED, Secretary Ash passed two Economic Development bills with increased support for MassWorks, improvements for the Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP), and important changes to the mortgage loan originator licensing requirements for affordable housing nonprofits.The Secretary also worked to reduce the number of homeless families staying in hotels and motels and helped roll out the Governor's Housing Choice Initiative.