PROVIDENCE – Maria Gooch-Smith, executive director of the South Eastern Economic Development Corp., will retire at the end of April 2019, the organization announced Monday.
Gooch-Smith has served as executive director of the nonprofit lender since SEED’s launch in 1982 – when she was involved in the establishment of the organization.
In a release Monday, the organization noted that at launch, SEED had just $5 in its bank account.
The organization also said that it has tasked KLR Executive Search Group to find a successor to Gooch-Smith.
SEED made six Rhode Island District SBA-backed loans in fiscal 2018 at a value of $476,500, making it the 19th largest SBA-backed lender in Rhode Island, ranked by number of loans, according to the most recent data released by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
In fiscal 2017, SEED made 10 SBA-backed loans backed by the Rhode Island SBA office at a value of $3.1 million.
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor. Email him at Bergenheim@PBN.com.
