Two New Staff Members Join the NBEDC

Executive Director Matthew A. Morrissey announced the addition of two new staff members to the New Bedford Economic Development Council (NBEDC).
Derek Santos has accepted an offer for the position of Director of Planning and Development.  In this new position, Derek will be responsible for the coordination and implementation of a range of economic development initiatives throughout the city.  He will work closely on business development activities with city departments and state agencies to ensure that there is strong coordination on all economic development-related projects.  Derek will also work within the organization to ensure that its operations run smoothly and efficiently.
For the past 12 years, Derek has been involved on various sides of development projects throughout the city, both in his position as historical architect for the National Park Service and as an active member of the City’s Planning Board.
At the national park, Derek has worked with a wide range of governmental and private agencies and organizations to carry out planning and development in the park.  Derek’s recent responsibilities included managing the planning and construction for the $7M Corson Block rehabilitation and serving as the lead of the planning and design team for the $15M Route 18 Access Improvement Project.
“As the NBEDC continues to build, Derek’s experience with development in the City and his strong background in permitting will be a tremendous asset to our work,” commented Mr. Morrissey.
Derek’s official start date will be on September 4, 2007.
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Jeffery Robinson has accepted an offer for the New Bedford Economic Development Council’s part-time controller position.  For the last six years, Jeffery has been the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s controller, managing a public budget of $160 million.  Prior to his university position, Jeffery was the controller for Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Mr. Morrissey said, “We are particularly fortunate to have someone of Jeff’s caliber and experience working with us as we grow.”
Mr. Morrissey expressed his thanks to the New Directions team of Brenda Francis and Bill Edward for their assistance in providing outstanding service in interviewing all the first round candidates for the planning and development position.  “They interviewed the top six candidates, ran through a comprehensive list of questions, took detailed notes and provided me with both their notes and scoring. It is a great service that New Directions provides to any employer in the city,” said Mr. Morrissey.