As chief operating officer, Noelle MacKay oversees all aspects of RAP’s operations to support and enhance the organization’s creative and collaborative culture. She leads implementation of strategic planning; identifies needs and opportunities for development; and recommends strategies, resources, and business models to improve outcomes and impact. MacKay also oversees human resources, information technology, finance, and communications.
Before joining RAP, MacKay was the director of the Community and Economic Development Office for the city of Burlington, Vermont. There she helped shepherd several development projects that will transform the city’s downtown and waterfront. She also supported the growth of diversity and restorative justice programs in partnership with the school district.
Noelle MacKay earlier served almost six years as commissioner of the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development. In that role she led community and economic development recovery efforts after Tropical Storm Irene in 2011; worked to restructure and stabilize staffing to enhance customer service and communication; and directed efforts to update the state’s smart growth designation programs and land use regulations.
Her career began in the nonprofit sector focusing on land use, community, and the environment. She served as the executive director of Smart Growth Vermont and as deputy director of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association in New Jersey.
Noelle MacKay earned a master’s degree in environmental studies from Dalhousie University in Canada and was awarded an Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship. She holds a bachelor’s degree in science from Mount Allison University in Canada.
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