CenterState CEO board elects Fox as chairman

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — CenterState CEO’s board of directors has unanimously elected Jim Fox of O’Brien & Gere as its new chairman, Robert M. Simpson, president and CEO of the economic-development organization, announced Thursday in an email to members.

Fox is CEO and chairman of O’Brien & Gere, Central New York’s largest engineering firm. He succeeds Deborah Stanley, president of SUNY Oswego, as CenterState CEO’s board chair.

“On behalf of CenterState CEO’s board, members and staff, I’d like to thank Deborah for her leadership over the past three years and for being a driving force behind some of our most important accomplishments, including a renewed focus on diversity and the reorganization of staff and board committees following a year-long strategic planning process,” Simpson said in the email. “Additionally, Deborah led the organization through its commitment to support the successful application for the $500 million Upstate Revitalization Initiative.”

Simpson said that Fox brings a wealth of business experience with a focus on innovation at a time when CenterState CEO is implementing its new strategic plan. It’s a plan Fox helped develop as a member of the steering committee. “Having served as a member of the executive committee and on its board of directors, [Fox] has a deep understanding of the organization,” Simpson said.

The CenterState CEO board’s first vice chair is Melanie Littlejohn, National Grid’s regional executive director for Upstate New York.

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