Gov. appoints new trustee
Katie L. Stebbins has a long record of experience in economic development and urban planning in the Greater Springfiel area.
Katie L. Stebbins, the assistant secretary of Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for Massachusetts and a longtime economic development consultant and urban planner in the Greater Springfield area, has been appointed by Gov. Baker to the Holyoke Community College Board of Trustees.
Since April 2015, Stebbins, who recently moved from Springfield to Holliston, has worked for the state in the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. Previously, as the founder and principal of Your Friend in Springfield Consulting, a private economic development and project management firm, she helped establish the Holyoke Innovation District.
HCC's new center for hospitality and culinary arts is now under development in the Cubit Building in the Holyoke Innovation District. Stebbins was one of the guest speakers there last December during a press event announcing a $1.75 million state grant for the facility, scheduled to open next summer.
"I am honored to serve as a trustee of Holyoke Community College," Stebbins said. "I have a personal and deep commitment to Holyoke and western Mass. This opportunity will allow me to further engage with HCC's excellent record of impacting education, workforce training, and economic development in the region."
Stebbins, 45, holds a master's degree in regional planning and a graduate certificate in Latin American Studies from the University of Massachusetts. She began her career in 1998 in Springfield as a senior planner, project manager and brownfield coordinator with the city Planning Department and later as the deputy director and principal planner for the Springfield Office of Planning and Economic Development.
"Katie brings a wealth of experience as a leader in economic development in Springfield, Holyoke, the region and the state and has long been a friend to the college," said interim HCC president Bill Fogarty. "She will be a welcome addition to the board."
PHOTOS: Katie Stebbins, in her Boston office, courtesy of the Boston Globe.
