Commissioner Joan Goldstein is stepping down after a decade leading Vermont’s Department of Economic Development.
Gov. Phil Scott announced Goldstein’s departure in a Thursday press release. Goldstein is expected to leave her post at the end of April — almost exactly 10 years after she first stepped into the role. She is next taking the helm at the Vermont Economic Development Authority, a non-profit that provides financial assistance to Vermont businesses, according to the release.
“It’s been great working for Governor Scott, and we did some excellent things,” Goldstein said in an interview with VTDigger. “I have nothing but great things to say about the experience, but I’m looking forward to my new journey.”
Operating within the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, the Department of Economic Development oversees a number of programs aimed at promoting economic development and job growth in Vermont, including the state’s Capital Investment Program and the state’s BIPOC Business and Career Assistance initiative.
Goldstein was first tapped to lead the department by former Gov. Peter Shumlin in April 2015. Prior to that, she had served as the executive director of the Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation for six years, according to her LinkedIn profile. In her time as commissioner, she saw the department through the Covid-19 pandemic and the waves of catastrophic flooding that impacted much of the state in 2023 and 2024.
Goldstein said that she would join VEDA in June.
“Joan has been a valued member of my team and has demonstrated strong leadership and creativity in her role as commissioner,” Scott said in the release. “She was instrumental during the pandemic and floods to create programs that filled gaps and met the needs of Vermont employers. I’m grateful for her service and wish her all the best in her new role.”
As of early Thursday afternoon, Scott had not announced who would step into Goldstein’s role after her departure, and did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont Economic Development Commissioner Joan Goldstein to step down.