John Barros

Mayor Martin J. Walsh named John Barros the City of Boston’s first chief of economic development in 2014, responsible for spurring economic development in all neighborhoods across the city and providing oversight of the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

At the time he was recognized as a Barr Fellow, John was the executive director of Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI), a nonprofit, community-based planning and organizing entity rooted in Roxbury/North Dorchester. He was the first young person elected to the DSNI Board of Directors and was later hired to lead the organization in 2000. Prior to leading DSNI, he helped underwrite initial public offerings at the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies.