Peter Meade ’70 named BRA director

Peter Meade, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Emerson College

Emerson Board of Trustees Chair Peter Meade ’70 has been selected by Mayor Thomas M. Menino to lead the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA).

Meade’s work at the BRA will include tackling issues related to key development projects currently taking place in the city, such as the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan, the South Boston Waterfront, and the redevelopment of the former Filene’s property in Downtown Crossing.

“Peter’s unique experiences as a civic and business leader make him the right person to advance the BRA’s central mission of job creation, smart and innovative planning, and cultivating strong neighborhoods,” said Menino.

“As a lifelong resident of Boston, it is truly an honor to have this opportunity to work with Mayor Menino, the BRA staff, and the Boston community to shape the future of our great city,” Meade said. “Boston is a place of great history that has continued to thrive as an innovative 21st century city. I look forward to working together to build a prosperous home for the residents, families and businesses of Boston,” said Meade about his new post.

“Peter Meade has served his alma mater with distinction as a Trustee, as vice chair of the Board, and, since 2007, as Board chair,” said President Jacqueline Liebergott. “Peter is a legendary figure in the Boston civic, media, and political communities. He has generously shared with Emerson the wisdom and extensive connections he has forged during his long and distinguished career. In a very real sense, Peter has helped make Emerson College what it is today. We are grateful for all that he has done for us, and we wish him the very best in his important new position.

“We expect that Peter will step down as an Emerson trustee and Board chair to avoid any potential conflict of interest,” Liebergott said. “At that time, the Board will elect his successor.”

Meade, a member of the Class of 1970 also received an honorary degree from the College, and has held a number of key leadership positions, including his most recent role as president and CEO of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.

He worked for 12 years as executive vice president of Blue Cross Blue Shield; was president and CEO of the New England Council, a non-partisan group of businesses, academic, and public and private institutions that promote economic growth and stability in New England; and was chairman of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy. In 2006 the Boston Globe Magazine named Meade “Bostonian of the Year.”

Meade has displayed a lifelong commitment to public service in Boston. Not long after graduating from College, Meade worked in Boston Mayor Kevin H. White’s administration, serving as a safety coordinator amid the turbulent times of court-mandated desegregation of the Boston Public Schools.