Former Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera is this year’s recipient of the David Tibbetts’ Economic Impact Award, given by the Lawrence Partnership.
Rivera, known throughout the Merrimack Valley for his turnaround work in Lawrence and leadership during the Merrimack Valley Columbia Gas Disaster of 2018, now helps other cities as president and CEO of MassDevelopment.
“In recognition of the vital role that economic development plays in our local, regional and statewide destinies, the Lawrence Partnership has been recognizing leaders who have successfully promoted and implemented innovative economic development strategies,” the organization noted in announcing the award would be given at its annual meeting Thursday, June 29, beginning at 10:30 a.m., at Riverwalk Properties.
Rivera served as Lawrence mayor for seven years before joining MassDevelopment at the end of 2020. He also served on Northern Essex Community College’s board of trustees. He served on former Gov. Charlie Baker’s Reopening Advisory Board, bringing the municipal viewpoint to the group tasked with reopening the economy during COVID-19, and the COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group.
In 2017, Baker tapped Rivera to serve on the newly established Latino Advisory Commission charged with addressing the concerns of the Massachusetts Latino community and promoting economic prosperity and well-being. Rivera, a veteran of the United States Army, holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Master’s in Business Administration from Suffolk University.
In 2017, David A. Tibbetts received the inaugural Economic Impact Award, thereafter to be named in his honor. A Lawrence native and now of Newburyport, Tibbetts served as secretary of Economic Development for the Commonwealth under former Governor William Weld and founded the Merrimack Valley Economic Development Council in 1999.