The widow of Lawrence development mogul Bob Billings has been selected as the new president of Alvamar Inc.

Beverly Smith Billings confirmed this week that Alvamar Inc.’s board of directors had tapped her to lead what is considered to be Lawrence’s largest and most influential development company.

She said her plans for the company wouldn’t differ from those of her late husband, who died in February.

“We will try to be as much like Bob as we can,” Smith Billings said. “He wanted to create a wonderful community for people to live and play, and that’s still what we want to do.”

Other board members agreed no major strategy changes are likely in store for Alvamar.

“I don’t know why we would want to change it,” said John Drake, a Lawrence resident and member of Alvamar’s board. “It has always been about developing with quality and beauty, and I’m sure that won’t change.”

Under Bob Billings’ leadership, the company since its founding in the 1960s amassed about 3,000 acres of west Lawrence property. Smith Billings said there was now slightly less than 1,000 acres left to develop.

She said the company would continue to do some development of commercial and research park areas, but said the company’s primary focus would remain on residential development.

She said she also didn’t anticipate Alvamar would be a big buyer of new land to develop in the Lawrence area.

“I would say that right now we are focusing on what we currently own and are trying to get that developed in a quality fashion and in a way that Bob would be proud of,” Smith Billings said. “We’re not looking to acquire any more land right now.”

Smith Billings said the company didn’t foresee any major changes to its country club, golf courses and other recreational businesses.

She also said she hoped to reassure community leaders that Alvamar would try to continue the philanthropic work in which Bob Billings was involved.

“I would have to think that people are concerned about what will happen to Bob’s deep commitment to so many things that went on in this community,” Smith Billings said. “Let me say that it is our every intention to continue that same involvement in Lawrence.

“We won’t do as good of job as he did, but that caring, in his memory, will carry on. We want to continue to be a player in the entire community.”

Smith Billings has worked at Alvamar for the past 25 years in various positions, most recently serving as president of Alvamar Realty Inc., which is the real estate sales branch of the company. She continues to hold that title. She was on the Alvamar board before being elected president.

Smith Billings said the company had not yet filled the vacancy on the board left by Bob Billings’ death. She said there was no timeline to fill that spot.