Lamont names state’s chief innovation officer DECD commissioner
Gov. Ned Lamont didn’t have to look too far to find a replacement for departing Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Alexandra Daum.
Lamont announced Tuesday that he will promote a member of DECD’s executive team, Daniel O’Keefe, to lead the agency. O’Keefe joined the Lamont administration earlier this year as Connecticut’s chief innovation officer.
O’Keefe’s nomination as DECD head must still be approved by the state legislature. If lawmakers ratify his nomination, he will earn $215,000 a year in salary.
O’Keefe said he would retain his title as chief innovation officer until a replacement can be found.
Lamont announced O’Keefe’s promotion during a Tuesday press conference in New London. Prior to joining DECD, O’Keefe served as managing partner and founder of Apax Digital, a leading technology investment firm, for nearly eight years.
“I like people who are practitioners, not just advocates,” Lamont said about O’Keefe’s background. Daum announced last week that she is leaving the commissioner’s job in early 2024 for a position at Yale University. She has been serving as DECD’s commissioner since January after spending three years before that as a deputy commissioner at the agency. Daum said Tuesday she chose to leave the job at this time because she is replacing Lauren Zucker, who is retiring as associate vice president of Yale Properties and New Haven relations.
“I would have loved to stay longer (at DECD), but it was her timing that necessitated” the move, Daum said. “I’m thrilled to be filling her shoes.”
O’Keefe, who has 25 years experience in the technology investment field, has been serving as advocate for Connecticut’s innovation economy, focusing on economic growth, workforce development, and job creation.
“Connecticut remains an incredible place to live, work and play,” he said. “For the last two years, we’ve seen our population increase while other states in the region have seen theirs decrease. Our economy expanded at a rate that was the seventh fastest in the country last year; we haven’t been in the top 10 since 2004.”
One way to continue to boost Connecticut economic growth, O’Keefe said, is for the state to invest more heavily in cyber technology businesses and artificial intelligence companies.
“We want to send a message to the market that we value those innovative industries,” he said.
Prior to Daum’s announcement becoming public, she and O’Keefe appeared with Lamont last Thursday at a press conference where Hanwha Aerospace announced it was establishing a divisional headquarters at the company’s Cheshire manufacturing facility.
Datum said DECD employs 100 people and puts out $200 million a year in grants, supporting hundreds of business, tourism and arts organizations.