Segun Idowu plans to leave his position at the end of February. Segun Idowu, who has served as Mayor Michelle Wu’s economic development chief since 2021, is resigning from his role.
Idowu plans to leave his position at the end of February, the Globe reported Monday night. Idowu did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Business Journal.
During his tenure, Idowu sought to reshape the city’s traditional chief of economic development role, including with his new title: chief of economic opportunity and inclusion. Idowu has spoken about building an economically equitable city, and helped create programs that brought opportunities to business owners across Boston’s neighborhoods.
One initiative the city rolled out was the SPACE Grant Program, which has helped local businesses like Dani’s Queer Bar in Back Bay, ProBlakArt in Dorchester and Essence Cafe in Mattapan with expenses related to new lease agreements. The first recipients were announced in 2023 to fill vacant retail storefronts.
The economic development chief has also been involved in the conversations that brought big-name companies to roost in Boston, including the Lego Group, which opened its North American headquarters in Back Bay last year.
Idowu fell under scrutiny last year after a former city employee claimed he propositioned her. The city employee, Marwa Khudaynazar, sued Boston over her firing, claiming she was let go to protect Idowu.
Meanwhile, the city contends it followed protocol by firing Khudaynazar, saying she invoked her status as a city worker to try and avoid arrest after a dispute with her boyfriend. Khudaynazar said the argument with her boyfriend, who also worked for the city, arose from a conversation about Idowu’s overtures.
Idowu was president and CEO of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA) before being tapped in late 2021 by Wu to join her incoming administration. He previously was lead organizer of the Boston Police Camera
Action Team, an organization that advocated for the use of body cameras by Boston police officers.
This article first appeared in the Boston Business Journal
