Morrisville State lecture features local economic leader, president of CenterState CEO

Rob Simpson, President and CEO of CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity (CEO), will give a presentation at Morrisville State on April 3.



The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 1 p.m. in Charlton Hall, Room 125. Simpson is a key economic development figure in Central New York, having been the Governor's appointed co-chair on Economic Development and allocation of state funds for CNY. He is also the leader of many of the current economic development initiatives in the region, working with the Governor's StartUp NY initiatives.



In his presentation, Economic Development and the Revitalization of Central New York, Simpson will share his path to success, discuss the importance of economic development to local cities/towns, and provide key points on the revitalization of Central New York.



In 2011, Simpson was appointed by the Governor to serve as co-chair of the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council (CNY REDC), a commission responsible for coordinating economic development for Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego counties.



In recent years, CenterState CEO has received national attention for its innovative, integrated approach to business, economic and community development. Under Simpson's leadership, CEO has engaged prominent national organizations, including the Ford, Surdna and Kauffman Foundations, to further this work.



Prior to joining CenterState CEO, Simpson worked for Defenders of Wildlife, in Washington, D.C., served as policy director for the State Environmental Resource Center, in Madison, Wis., and served as assistant legislative director for the Office of John D. Rockefeller, IV, in the United States Senate.



Simpson, of Syracuse, earned a bachelor's degree from Colgate University and a master's degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.



The lecture is sponsored by the Pyramid Broker Lecture Series.



The CenterState CEO is a 12-county business leadership and economic development organization, based in Syracuse, which represents more than 2,000 members and serves as the region's primary economic, community and business development catalyst.