PROVIDENCE – Keith Stokes has been named business and development director for the city of Providence, Mayor Jorge O. Elorza announced Wednesday.
Stokes, who will succeed Michael Solomon in the role, will begin on Oct. 12.
Stokes most recently served for nine years as an economic planning and planning consultant with Mayforth Group, the mayor’s office said. He also previously served as the executive director of the R.I. Economic Development Corp., which later became the R.I. Commerce Corp. His tenure at the EDC included, and ended with, the 38 Studios debacle.
In the city role, Stokes will be overseeing business support and development programs and work with city departments to promote business growth and retention in the city. The job also entails connecting business, government and stakeholders to identify a consensus on local issues, including COVID-19 recovery efforts and actionable business developments.
“Keith is a person of strong character and leadership whose robust community and business relationships will be an asset to the city of Providence,” Elorza said in a statement. “He brings special talents in business and economic development honed through many years of experience in both government and private business sectors. As our business community recovers from the pandemic, I know Keith will hit the ground running to develop business and workforce recovery plans with community members to ensure that Providence continues to be a city that works.”
