January 11th, 2019

In The News: Natalia Urtubey

Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced the appointment of Natalia Urtubey as Director of Small Business.

Under the direction of Chief of Economic Development John Barros, Urtubey will continue implementation of the 2016 Citywide Small Business Plan to ensure that Boston is an attractive and accessible place for small businesses to grow and thrive.

Urtubey’s extensive knowledge of Boston’s neighborhoods and small business community will complement her experience in creating growth strategies and building partnerships across community stakeholders. She will manage a 12-person staff focused on tracking and producing research on local and national trends to inform decision making about small business development tools, coordinating with local residents and existing businesses to ensure that there is a strategic and policy-driven approach to growth without displacement, and working with residents and other city officials to remove any barriers to do business in the city of Boston.

Through initiatives aimed at supporting small businesses and neighborhood wealth creation, the Small Business Unit works with small businesses throughout the city via direct services and a strong partnership with the Boston Main Streets Foundation and its 20 neighborhood-based 501(c)3 organizations. Urtubey will manage and oversee the distribution for over $3 million in small business resources under the Community Development Block Grant Program, over $3 million in investment in small businesses within and outside of the 20 Main Streets Districts, and direct and implement Walsh’s 2016 Small Business Plan to provide coordinated service delivery and economic opportunity for Boston’s 40,000 small businesses.

Previously, Urtubey served as the executive director of Imagine Boston 2030, working to implement the first citywide planning process in over 50 years, and was responsible for ensuring it was representative of Boston residents’ vision and concerns. In this role, Urtubey was instrumental in keeping the process visible and accessible to all Bostonians, bringing community leaders together, and identifying opportunities for collaboration. Originally from Colombia, Urtubey helped launch the City’s first Latinx Employee Resource Group.

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