I’m excited and humbled to share with you that I have been named the House Chair of the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies by my colleagues in the House of Representatives! Prior to serving as a Floor Division Leader last session, I was elected as the House Vice Chair of this committee and I am eager to return to working on the important issues that this committee addresses.

The Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies is one of the most influential in the Massachusetts state government, dealing with or touching on issues such as regional and workforce development, tourism, innovative technologies, life sciences, infrastructure, and gaming and lottery, as well as the funding of state agencies that address these issues.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo has stated that there will be a significant focus on economic development and job training this session, especially in the Commonwealth’s life sciences, technology, and clean energy sectors. As this work goes forward, I continue to be focused on making sure that Cape Ann receives our fair share of funding in order to have the ability to create pathways to new careers and economic growth for our residents. Equally as important, we must not forget to support and invest in traditional industries that define our communities, such as fishing and farming.

My hope is to bring the innovative spirit that we have seen on Cape Ann to my new position, so that we can build on our successes and offer a blueprint of our accomplishments to other areas of the Commonwealth. This past legislative term on Cape Ann, we’ve had the experience of working with leaders in Genomics to open the doors of the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute and with union leaders to create a vocational training program at Gloucester High School to offer training opportunities for the students of Cape Ann.

I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and diving back into these issues to set an economic and job growth agenda for Cape Ann and the Commonwealth!