Brooke E. Woodson, a longtime Boston civic and business leader who spent more than two decades working for the City of Boston, died Sept. 26 after a brief illness. He was 62.
Mr. Woodson’s City Hall career began in 1987, when he became chief of staff to the late Boston City Councillor Bruce Bolling. He subsequently worked in Mayor Thomas Menino’s administration as director of the city’s Small and Local Business Office and as a special assistant to the mayor.
His work centered on expanding economic opportunities for businesses and workers from communities that had historically been left out of major development and contracting opportunities.
After leaving City Hall, he carried that focus into Boston’s development and construction sectors, serving as vice president of programs at Madison Park Development Corp., national director of trade partner diversity at Suffolk Construction, and, most recently, senior director of community engagement at Shawmut Design and Construction.
Mr. Woodson, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University and a master’s degree in urban affairs from Boston University, also served as an adviser on numerous presidential, state, and local political campaigns.
A funeral service was held Monday, Oct. 5, at the historic Charles Street A.M.E. Church on Warren Street.
