As Secretary of Housing and Economic Development, Mike Kennealy advanced the Baker-Polito Administration’s agenda to create economic opportunity and new housing for residents.  He led the Administration’s efforts to strengthen Massachusetts’ leadership in the innovation economy while overseeing significant investments in affordable housing, and he shepherded through the Legislature the Administration’s third economic development bill, which included the most important zoning reform in decades.  In response to the pandemic, Kennealy helped launch the state’s Manufacturing Emergency Response Team and co-chaired the Reopening Advisory Board.  He directed the state’s economic recovery by supporting small businesses and getting people back to work.  

Kennealy combined a successful track record in business with a strong commitment to public service. He began his career in private equity at TA Associates.  In 1997, he joined Spectrum Equity, a firm founded in 1994.  During his more than 15 years at Spectrum, he helped grow the firm to become an established market leader with nearly $5 billion in assets under management and investments in over 100 high-growth companies in the information economy.  After his career in private equity, Kennealy spent two years as Special Advisor to the Receiver at Lawrence Public Schools, working with the state-appointed superintendent/receiver on the school district’s turnaround plan. 

Prior to joining Governor Baker’s Cabinet as Secretary at the end of 2018, Kennealy served as Assistant Secretary for Business Growth at EOHED beginning in early 2015, playing an integral role in advancing the Administration’s strategy for job creation and business development. 

Currently, Kennealy serves as the Senior Advisor and Chief Strategy Officer for the Boys and Girls Club of Boston.

Rachel Heller became CEO of Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) in 2016 after joining as the Director of Public Policy in 2012. Rachel and her team work every day to fulfill CHAPA’s mission of encouraging the production and preservation of homes that are affordable to households with low and moderate incomes and to foster diverse and sustainable neighborhoods. Rachel comes to this work with a passion for ensuring all people have safe, healthy, affordable homes in the communities they choose. Rachel previously worked as the Director of Public Policy at the Alliance for Business Leadership, a progressive business organization; served as Chief of Staff and Housing Policy Director for former Massachusetts State Senator Susan Tucker; and was the Senior Policy Advocate at Homes for Families, a nonprofit advocacy organization working in partnership with people who have experienced homelessness and service providers to end family homelessness.

Taylor Trenchard is a lifelong resident of Massachusetts. She graduated summa cum laude from Fairfield University with a Bachelor’s in Politics and Communications in 2014 and received her J.D. from the College of William and Mary in 2017. She started her career in the Massachusetts State House in 2012 as a legislative intern for Senator Sal DiDomenico, and completed a second internship as a legal fellow with the Judiciary Committee in 2017, working on comprehensive criminal justice reform. She served as both a Research Analyst and the Research Director and Legal Counsel for the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Housing from December 2017-December 2021, working on the state’s largest-ever housing bond bill, zoning reform, and critical housing protections during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has been in her current role as Chief of Staff with Senator Brendan Crighton since January 2022. She is also a member of the Massachusetts Bar.

Andy Huntoon is a Managing Director at Trammell Crow Residential responsible for sourcing and executing new multifamily development opportunities in Massachusetts and New York. During his 18-years in the industry, Andy has developed or acquired almost 12,000 units of housing valued at $3 billion. Before joining TCR in 2016, Andy served as a Vice President and Director at GID for 9 years. Prior to his real estate career, Andy was a Second Officer in the United States Merchant Marine aboard cargo vessels and owned a small ship sailing cruise line.

Andy has an MBA from Boston College and a BS from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Dr. Michael Wilkerson is a Partner and the Director of Analytics at ECONorthwest. He brings over 15 years of private-sector experience as an economic consultant and as an analyst in the financial services industry. Mike studies urban economics for both public and private sector clients—with a focus on land use, transportation, and real estate development and how they interact with the regional economy. Using a data-driven approach that focuses on spatial analysis, he conducts housing market analyses, development feasibility studies, TOD implementation studies and master plans, economic impact analyses, and provides expert testimony. He regularly presents at national conferences on topics related to real estate economics, including the American Planning Association, the National Multifamily Housing Council, and the Urban Land Institute. Mike is currently an adjunct professor in the Master of Real Estate Development program at Portland State University.