Priscilla Rojas

The Boston Planning & Development Agency board Thursday night unanimously voted to elect Priscilla Rojas as board chair, making her the first woman and Latina to hold the position. Appointed by Mayor Marty Walsh in 2015 and has served as interim chair since December 2019 when the previous chair, Tim Burke, retired.

“Through many years of dedicated service to her community and to the city of Boston, Priscilla Rojas has shown she is well-qualified to serve as chair of the BPDA Board,” Walsh said in a statement. “I want to congratulate Priscilla on this great achievement, and thank her and all of the Board Members for their ongoing leadership to create a city that is equitable for all.”

Outside of the BPDA, Rojas is board treasurer and audit committee chair for Futuro Media Group, an independent nonprofit journalism organization that produces news programs for National Public Radio and other news content from the perspective of people of color. Rojas was also a member of the Boston Cultural Council for six years and was recognized in the 2016 Boston’s Extraordinary Women Campaign, highlighting women that do extraordinary work within the Boston community. Rojas is the head of internal audit and compliance at Takeoff Technologies, and lives in the Leather District.

“I am pleased to be elected as chair of the BPDA board, and I want to thank my fellow board members for this honor,” Rojas said in a statement. “As chair, I look forward to building on the work the board has done to ensure there are opportunities for every resident of Boston.”

The board also voted to elect Michael Monahan as vice-chair. Monahan is the international vice president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Second District, overseeing all New England affairs of the 40,000-plus members and over 50 local unions.