New London ― Gov. Ned Lamont introduced Daniel H. O’Keefe as his incoming head of the state Department of Economic and Community Development during a downtown news conference Tuesday afternoon.

O’Keefe, the state’s chief innovation officer, previously had been known as a technology investor, most recently as managing partner of Apax Digital in New York City. A Harvard University graduate, O’Keefe received high praise from outgoing DECD Commissioner Alexandra Daum, a former developer who is leaving early next year to accept a position at Yale University.

“He’s worked with countless technology companies that are growing and innovating,” Daum said. “Congratulations to the governor for a good pick.”

Meeting at the High Tide Capital redevelopment project at 133 Bank St., former home of Jason’s Furniture where 13 out of 16 newly constructed apartments are now occupied, Lamont said he wanted to make the DECD announcement in New London because the city over the past few years has seen a bigger economic transformation than any other place in the state.

“We’ve got a tailwind, and it’s a really good economy,” he said in a speech on the first floor of the Bank Street project, where High Tide developer Dash Davidson announced a Texas-based chicken and waffles restaurant will soon locate, marking its third location nationwide. “There’s something people are rediscovering about what makes the state special.”

In an interview after the news conference, O’Keefe said he sees Connecticut moving in the right direction with the recent news that the state saw a net in-migration of about 58,000 people last year.

“It’s really about vibrancy,” said O’Keefe, who is stepping into a job with a $215,000 annual salary.

And in his speech Tuesday, he elaborated by making a positive case for the future of Connecticut.

“The pandemic rewrote the rules, in a way,” O’Keefe said. “That benefits the state of Connecticut. If you have more flexibility on where to live, why not live in a place where the quality of life is high? Why not live in a place that is one of the best in the world to educate and raise your children? And that is exactly what is happening. People are voting with their feet and with their wallets, our population is growing, our economy is expanding.”

Lamont said the state experienced “a bit of a lost decade” before COVID, as young people left the state in droves. But now there’s a new growth in places like New London, which are in the process of becoming “beautiful, dense, walkable communities,” he added.

“It’s just transformative what you’ve seen in this amazing city,“ Lamont said. ”We’ve got to bring our cities back to life in a significant way. Our cities were 30, 40, 50% bigger a couple generations ago. And now they’re coming back, and it’s urban centers, like here in New London, New Haven, Hartford and Stamford where people are rediscovering our state.“

A case in point could be found at 133 Bank St., where the upper floors had been unoccupied for more than a generation before High Tide Capital started a transformation earlier this year. Now, the apartments are nearly fully occupied, and four of the tenants are from out of state, according to the developer Davidson.

“I think this building is a testament to the collaboration between New London and the state of Connecticut but really specifically to the programs that run through the DECD,” particularly the state historic tax credit program, Davidson said. “That’s the reason we’re able to do these historic preservation projects.”

“We just can’t wait to do more projects like this,” he added.

l.howard@theday.com