Erin Padilla. (Courtesy photograph.)
Two with Haverhill connections are among the latest cohort of Transformative Development Initiative—or TDI—fellows who will work in Gateway cities for three years to help accelerate economic growth within designated downtown neighborhoods and commercial districts.
Erin Padilla, who recently said she is stepping down as executive director at Creative Haverhill, will serve within the Cambodia Town Neighborhood in Lowell, while Rikelma Vargas, a dean at an alternative high school in Lawrence and wife of state Rep. Andy X. Vargas, will work in Peabody’s Foster Street Corridor.
“MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative has helped Gateway Cities strengthen local businesses, revitalize commercial districts and create new economic opportunities,” said Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley, who serves as chair of MassDevelopment’s board of directors. “The fellows are at the heart of that work, bringing dedicated capacity to help local partners coordinate efforts, connect with resources and pursue opportunities for growth.”
Earlier this year, MassDevelopment established TDI districts in Lowell and Peabody as well as Chelsea, Fitchburg, Holyoke and Malden. TDI fellows, employees of MassDevelopment, will work in these cities beginning in August to provide, what is described as, “on-the-ground economic development organizing expertise and collaborative leadership.”
MassDevelopment said Padilla and Vargas “will have access to a range of tools to help accelerate development, including technical assistance, grants and more.
Haverhill was one of the first cities to host a TDI fellow, Noah Koretz, back in 2015. As WHAV reported at the time, Koretz was tasked with helping to “revitalize the city’s Merrimack Street Transformative District, which connects two ends of a vibrant downtown and which the city is developing as an attractive, safe and diverse place to work, live, study, recreate, dine and shop.” Another Haverhillite, Nate Robertson, became a TDI fellow in Lowell in 2022.
Padilla also managed Haverhill’s Riverfront Cultural District and previously held leadership roles at the Chehalem Cultural Center in Newberg, Ore., coordinating exhibitions, cultural festivals and community development strategies.
Vargas most recently served as dean of curriculum, instruction and student engagement at an alternative high school in Lawrence, where she oversaw school-wide strategy. She has been credited with building cross-sector partnerships, managing grant funding and designing systems to support student engagement. She has a decade of experience in education, as both a classroom educator and school leader.