He was once part of a team that wrote speeches for then-Vice President Joe Biden. Now, Luke McGowan, director of the Burlington Community and Economic Development Office, is joining the White House’s Intergovernmental Affairs Team.
His exit was announced Wednesday by Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger.
“There is no more important work in America today than helping the Biden-Harris administration succeed,” Weinberger stated in a press release. “While I am sad to lose Luke as CEDO director, I am grateful for his service to the city of Burlington and look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role as we rebuild from 2020 at all levels of government.”
Weinberger said Katie Kinstedt, assistant CEDO director for administration and finance, will become interim director.
McGowan began work in July 2019 in the influential city role, overseeing the city government’s economic and community development initiatives. Weinberger had announced his selection that May. McGowan succeeded two interim directors of the office — Neale Lunderville from May to December 2018 and David White from January to July 2019.
McGowan arrived amid concern that the Community and Economic Development Office was focusing too much on private development, rather than issues of social justice. Former directors said the office was underfunded and the staff felt overburdened and undersupported. It was also criticized for its role in overseeing the long-stalled CityPlace downtown development project.
McGowan said Wednesday he acknowledged with his CEDO team that “leadership transition is never easy” and his decision to leave the office was not made lightly.
As for the recent history of the Community and Economic Development Office, Weinberger said Lunderville and White “were very experienced and strong people in that role. And they moved that department forward, and we’re going to make sure that the department keeps moving forward.” The mayor disagrees with the characterization that the office has been underfunded.
Before becoming CEDO director, McGowan consulted for businesses and nonprofits while living in South Woodstock. He had also been head of public policy for Thumbtack, a company based in San Francisco that connects small businesses to customers.
McGowan worked in the Obama White House from 2008 to 2012, according to his Linkedin profile. In that time, he was an energy policy assistant, a speechwriter for then-Vice President Biden and as a legislative assistant. He is a 2017 graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School.
McGowan said it’s been an honor to serve Burlington residents.
In Washington, he said, “part of my job is to basically figure out how to make it easier for city governments to help the people that they serve,” McGowan said.
During his time as director, McGowan oversaw the groundbreaking at the Moran Plant, an abandoned coal plant that is being converted into an industrial landmark, and helped the city secure $3.6 million in federal money to deal with lead hazards in low-income homes.
Vermont Law director gets EPA post
McGowan isn’t the only Vermonter joining the Biden administration.
Marianne Engelman-Lado, director of Vermont Law School’s Environmental Justice Clinic, has been named deputy general counsel for environmental initiatives at the Environmental Protection Agency.
The clinic at Vermont Law School represents “environmentally overburdened communities,” specifically low-income and communities of color, on environmental civil rights protections.
Vermont Law School announced the appointment Monday and said Engelman-Lado had provided recommendations about environmental justice to the Biden transition team before taking the deputy counsel role.
