![]() She’s had to get straight to work on legislation, including the administration’s immediate needs bond bill, and supplemental and official budgets. While Hao has laid out a number of long-term goals, she hasn’t exactly been able to ease into the job. She and Healey have “sent strong signals that they want to be relationship builders and more importantly that they want to be the champions who will help maintain Massachusetts’ overall competitiveness,” he said. “The business community frankly is unsure of where they stand in the relationship with Massachusetts and its political leaders,” said Ash.īut he sees Hao, who he called “likable” and a “great listener,” as a person who can help fix those perception problems. The politicians aren’t helping business leaders feel any more settled–the Fair Share Amendment in particular has caused consternation in C-suites across the Commonwealth and beyond. ![]() Īnd the growth of remote work has more companies eyeing the possibility of moving staff to places with more favorable tax regimes, like Florida or New Hampshire. High costs and taxes, along with ongoing transportation infrastructure and housing challenges, have pushed residents out of Massachusetts in droves–110,000 since the start of the pandemic, according to a recent Globe report. At the start of the Healey administration, the headwinds might be a little more subtle, but they’re certainly there. Healey has smartly said, ‘If I have to err on one side or another, I need somebody who has substantial business acumen to help navigate the uncertain waters that are ahead.’”ĭeval Patrick’s administration dealt with a recession, and Charlie Baker’s with a pandemic. “She’s schooled in economic theory and she’s been a practitioner,” Ash said. Hao’s background, which also includes economics degrees from Williams College and Cambridge University, could make her uniquely suited to the job, said Jay Ash, who led the department during the Baker administration. She met the governor at a campaign event with business leaders last April, according to the Boston Globe. I’m a very curious person and I’m excited to just figure it out, and go make it happen,” Hao said. “The intellectual question of what is the economic plan for the state of Massachusetts, that’s a really interesting question. ![]() Hao said she felt inspired by the Healey administration and by the challenge of what feels like a “unique moment” and inflection point for the state, with increasing warning signs about the costs of living and doing business. Speaking from her home in Williamstown in late February, where she was working the phones from isolation after testing positive for Covid, Hao described a desire to give back to the country that’s given her a “great education and career.” She’s the first in her family to be born in the US, and had grandmothers who had their feet bound in China. But if you actually knew me, you’d be less surprised.” “It seems kind of funny, because I’ve had my whole career in business. “It’s not an obvious career choice or step for me,” Hao said in an interview with CommonWealth. ![]()
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