Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.

Health Foundation awards grant funding to area college, Health WorkForce New York
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Cayuga Community College and Health WorkForce New York (HWNY) are among the recipients of a total of $500,000 from the Health Foundation

Upstate Medical University breaks ground on new Upstate Pathology Institute, expects to add jobs
DeWITT, N.Y. — Upstate Medical University on Monday, July 7 broke ground on a new, 109,000-square-foot clinical pathology laboratory facility, known as the Upstate Pathology

SUNY Oswego financial-aid leader appointed to NCAA board to support student-athletes
OSWEGO, N.Y. — SUNY Oswego says Rodrick Andrews, the school’s assistant VP for admissions and financial aid, was recently appointed to the NCAA Division III financial-aid committee. The school sees the appointment as providing Andrews the “opportunity to support student-athletes nationwide,” per its announcement. “I’m bringing in [more than 25] years of experience working with
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
OSWEGO, N.Y. — SUNY Oswego says Rodrick Andrews, the school’s assistant VP for admissions and financial aid, was recently appointed to the NCAA Division III financial-aid committee.
The school sees the appointment as providing Andrews the “opportunity to support student-athletes nationwide,” per its announcement.
“I’m bringing in [more than 25] years of experience working with financial aid, plus a perspective of working with student-athletes on financial aid,” Andrews said in the announcement. “Also, I provide the perspective of somebody working for a public school, where we do things differently than private schools might.”
Andrews has worked for SUNY Oswego since 2019.
The opportunity became available via an opening for a four-year term that an existing member had partially fulfilled. The NCAA put out a call for a qualified financial-aid representative to provide this key perspective, and Wendy McManus, Oswego’s assistant VP for intercollegiate athletics, reached out to Andrews.
“The main focus is on reviewing financial aid policies for Division III, and also making recommendations on any changes,” Andrews said. “If violations come up from an institution, we review them and make recommendations to the NCAA on how to remedy them.”
The appointment includes two full meetings for the committee in February and October, but the group also meets when needed during the year, SUNY Oswego said.
“For me, this is exciting because the previous institutions I’ve worked for are Division I, so I can bring that perspective in as well,” said Andrews, who in 2024 earned selection to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Emerging Leaders program.
“I definitely would like to see, as we go forward, more clarity going to Division III departments and institutions about how financial aid should work,” Andrews noted. “One of my focuses is on what we can do to better educate students about it.”

Bassett, ONC BOCES graduate 23 LPN students
ONEONTA, N.Y. — Bassett Healthcare Network’s A.O. Fox Hospital and Otsego Northern Catskills Board of Cooperative Educational Services (ONC BOCES) on June 26 graduated the first class of licensed practical nursing (LPN) students who began their studies since the program transitioned to the hospital in the fall of 2024. “You didn’t just complete a program,
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
ONEONTA, N.Y. — Bassett Healthcare Network’s A.O. Fox Hospital and Otsego Northern Catskills Board of Cooperative Educational Services (ONC BOCES) on June 26 graduated the first class of licensed practical nursing (LPN) students who began their studies since the program transitioned to the hospital in the fall of 2024.
“You didn’t just complete a program, you answered a calling,” ONC BOCES Director of Student Services April Erkson told the graduating class. Erkson delivered the welcome address at the June 26 ceremony at SUNY Oneonta, celebrating 23 graduates.
The 10-month program required students to complete intensive classroom study in the areas of nursing fundamentals, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, growth and development, maternity and pediatrics, ethics, and other clinical disciplines. The class observed and rotated in clinical areas at A.O. Fox Hospital, Fox Nursing Home, and across Bassett Healthcare Network, gaining hands-on experience alongside the program’s academic components. Students also engaged in clinical simulation laboratories to apply practical skills.
Joan MacDonald, president and CEO of Helios Care, and Jennifer Gerster, clinical instructor, led the pinning ceremony, which marks a nurse’s official entry to the field.
Bassett Healthcare Network’s nursing recruitment team is working with the graduates as they pursue positions within the health system.

David S. Urban has also joined Fust Charles as a tax associate. He earned his bachelor’s degree in accountancy and supply chain management from Syracuse

Michaela M. Lohr has joined Fust Charles as a tax associate. She earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. Lohr

Taina Fussa has joined Fust Charles as an audit associate. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from SUNY Oswego. Fussa is originally from Washington

The Reading League — a Syracuse–based national nonprofit whose mission is to advance the awareness, understanding, and use of evidence-aligned reading instruction — has appointed

Bowers CPAs & Advisors has welcomed Turissa Campbell as manager of learning & professional development — a newly created role that reflects the firm’s strategic

CNY Community Foundation names two new board members
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Central New York Community Foundation board of directors recently elected two new members. Angela Lee, chief diversity officer at Baxter International, Inc., and H. Douglas Pinckney, partner and co-founder of the Pinckney Hugo Group, were appointed to serve their first three-year term beginning July 1, 2025. Lee brings more than 30
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Central New York Community Foundation board of directors recently elected two new members.
Angela Lee, chief diversity officer at Baxter International, Inc., and H. Douglas Pinckney, partner and co-founder of the Pinckney Hugo Group, were appointed to serve their first three-year term beginning July 1, 2025.

Lee brings more than 30 years of experience in human resources and talent development. In her current role at Baxter, she drives strategic initiatives aimed at fostering a fully integrated inclusion and diversity experience within the organization. Lee began her career at Welch Allyn, where she held key leadership roles, including overseeing a team of global human-resources partners and leading acquisition and divestiture activities. Following Welch Allyn’s acquisition by Hillrom in 2015 — and later by Baxter in 2021 — she continued to play a pivotal role in the company’s evolution. Recognized for her leadership, Lee was named one of the 25 Influential Black Women in Business by The Network Journal in 2019. She is a graduate of SUNY Empire State College. Lee and her husband, Joseph, have a donor-advised fund at the Central New York Community Foundation. Joe also served on the foundation’s board of directors from 2008-2014.

Pinckney has more than 30 years of experience in marketing and communications. He began his career as a general sales manager for Sea-Land in Atlanta, Georgia, before serving as senior VP of sales and marketing at Worldwide Flight Services. In 2002, Doug, his brother Chris, and their friend Aaron Hugo acquired Spitz Advertising — Syracuse’s oldest advertising agency — and rebranded it as Pinckney Hugo Group (PHG). Since then, PHG has grown from five employees to more than 90, expanded to Rochester, and was recognized as one of the Best Companies to Work for in New York State. It also earned a spot on Inc. Magazine’s list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in America. Pinckney graduated from the University of Maryland and attended UNC Charlotte’s Belk College of Business.
The Central New York Community Foundation is a public charity established in 1927, which says it has invested more than $320 million in community projects that benefit Central New York.
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.