After more than a decade overseeing economic development and planning in East Hartford, Eileen Buckheit has stepped down, prompting a search for new leadership as several major projects advance.
Buckheit left her post on May 1, ending a 13-year tenure during which the town landed several large-scale development projects after years of sluggish economic growth.
Buckheit, an East Hartford native, was frequently credited with helping attract and guide transformative projects through the approval process. Under her watch, the town worked with Massachusetts-based National Development on the construction of logistics warehouses totaling 2.5 million square feet at Rentschler Field.
The town also advanced major multifamily redevelopment efforts, including plans to convert the aging Founders Plaza office park along the Connecticut River into about 1,000 apartments, mixed with retail and other commercial uses, as well as a project to redevelop a former Showcase Cinema property into a high-end apartment complex of 402 units.
East Hartford Mayor Connor Martin said Monday that Buckheit’s departure was a “mutual” decision between the two.
“She did a great job getting us to where we are now with about 12 economic development projects,” Martin said. “She got us here.”
Martin said the town is now seeking a successor with a “fresh perspective” and “different energy” to help carry those projects through completion and accelerate East Hartford’s development momentum.
Deputy Development Director Steve Hnatuk has assumed interim leadership of the department while the town conducts a search for a permanent replacement. Martin said he hopes to have a new development director in place by July 1.
According to Martin, the town is looking for a proactive “salesperson” capable of networking with and recruiting businesses and developers. The position carries a salary range of between $122,000 and $165,000 annually, and the posting is open.
In a written response to the Hartford Business Journal, Buckheit said she is “beyond proud” of her accomplishments during a tenure that spanned three mayoral administrations.
“There is an added feeling of accomplishment in being able to contribute to a town where you grew up and your family still resides,” Buckheit wrote.
Buckheit also noted that it is “hard” to be in public service right now, and credited other public employees for their work.
“I can’t wait for my next chapter,” Buckheit wrote.
Buckheit’s departure follows another recent change in East Hartford’s development ranks. Michael Daniels, who served as economic development coordinator for a decade, recently left to lead economic development efforts in Chicopee, Massachusetts.
Martin said he does not expect the staffing changes to slow East Hartford’s development efforts. He said the Capital Region Development Authority has increased its involvement in East Hartford projects, and the town is also relying more heavily on real estate and development advisory firm Goman+York.
