Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee announced Thursday the appointment of Deborah J. Goddard as the state’s housing secretary.
If confirmed by the state Senate, Goddard will fill a vacancy created in July when former Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor left for an unspecified private sector job in the finance sector. He is now a partner at Palm Venture Studios, according to his LinkedIn page.
According to a statement from McKee, Goddard has more than 40 years of experience in the housing field and currently has her own consulting firm, DJ Goddard Consulting.
The housing secretary post was created in recent years as Rhode Island began to respond to a crisis that has worsened over decades, due to a lack of new housing production and rising prices for homes and apartments.
“I am very aware of the persistent headwinds that we face in this arena,” Goddard said in a statement, “but they are not unique to Rhode Island nor are they new. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Department of Housing and sister agencies, with elected officials and partners throughout the public and private sectors to achieve success despite the challenges.”
Goddard served from 2014 to 2016 as managing director of policy and program development at MassHousing, and before that as general counsel to the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development.
According to The Boston Globe, Goddard was terminated from MassHousing in 2016, along with other key employees, and she received a $47,000 severance payment and a $3,400 “performance” fee.
Her background includes degrees from Wheaton College and Harvard Law School.
House Speaker Joe Shekarchi, who has championed the idea of building more housing, reacted positively to the pick.
“I met with Deborah Goddard for the first time yesterday and she was very impressive,” Shekarchi said in a statement. “Housing remains a critical issue to me, as well as the members of the House of Representatives and the people of Rhode Island. We have made great progress in addressing the housing crisis, including the passage of an historic housing bond earlier this month, and we must keep our feet on the gas pedal.”
In related news, the board of directors of RIPTA has voted to make Christopher Durand CEO of the public transit agency.
Durand became interim head when former CEO Scott Avedisian stepped down last spring after being charged with leaving the scene of an accident at a restaurant drive-through.
In a statement, RIPTA said Durand was the sole finalist after a national search by a consultant.
“I am honored to continue working alongside our dedicated employees who work tirelessly every day to keep Rhode Island moving,” Durand said. “In my short time as interim CEO, we’ve achieved significant milestones together — investing in workforce development to address labor and service challenges, reopening the East Side Tunnel after crucial renovations, and leading the way in sustainability with the Northeast region’s first in-line electric bus charging station.”
This story has been updated to note Pryor’s current job.
