{"id":5770,"date":"2022-10-07T18:06:50","date_gmt":"2022-10-07T22:06:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adirondack.org\/?p=5770"},"modified":"2023-08-03T17:00:09","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T21:00:09","slug":"5770-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adirondack.org\/press-release\/5770-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Clarkson University\u2019s Kelly Chezum Elected First Woman Chair at ANCA"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/strong>
\nDate: October 7, 2022
\nContact: Audrey Schwartzberg, ANCA Communications Officer, aschwartzberg@adirondack.org,
\n518.891.6200<\/p>\n

Clarkson University\u2019s Kelly Chezum Elected First Woman Chair at ANCA<\/h2>\n

Board of Directors announces slate of officers, welcomes new member Antonio DeSpirito<\/em><\/p>\n

SARANAC LAKE, N.Y.<\/strong> \u2014 The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) Board of Directors has
\nannounced the election of Kelly Chezum, vice president of external relations at Clarkson University, as
\nthe regional economic nonprofit\u2019s next chair. The vote makes Chezum the first woman to serve as board
\npresident in ANCA\u2019s 67-year history.<\/p>\n

The ANCA board also confirmed a new slate of officers and one new board member at their quarterly
\nmeeting on September 23. The meeting directly preceded ANCA\u2019s annual meeting at The Wild Center,
\nwhere over 120 people gathered to learn about the organization\u2019s current programming and impacts.
\nIn addition to Chezum, officers include Noah Shaw of Foley Hoag LLP as vice president; J. Daniel Mohr of
\nAdirondack Bank as treasurer; and Katie Malinowski of Tug Hill Commission as secretary. Antonio
\nDeSpirito, managing director of BlackRock and chief investment officer of its U.S. Fundamental Active
\nEquity program, was elected as ANCA\u2019s newest board member.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are so grateful to have Kelly at the helm during this exciting time at ANCA,\u201d said ANCA Executive
\nDirector, Elizabeth Cooper. \u201cDuring her 11 years on our board, Kelly has been an instrumental team
\nmember who consistently demonstrates remarkable leadership, insight and open-mindedness. She is a
\nstrong leader and positive example for our board and staff as we work together to grow economic
\nopportunities throughout the Adirondack North Country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chezum joined the ANCA board in 2011 and has served as its vice president for the past seven years
\nalongside outgoing chair Jim Sonneborn. She has over 25 years of experience as a creative marketing
\nprofessional and administrator in the public, private, nonprofit and government sectors.<\/p>\n

In addition to her volunteer leadership role at ANCA, she served as past Education Program Chair for
\nWomen’s Entrepreneurship Day (WED) at the United Nations, where she received WED\u2019s Education
\nPioneer Award in 2016. She is a member of the Adirondack Global Sports Commission, whose planning
\nhas advanced international tourism opportunities like the International Children’s Games and 2023
\nWorld University Games. She is also a director for the Public Policy Institute for the New York State
\nBusiness Council and a member of the Education Committee for the New York State Economic
\nDevelopment Corporation and serves on several local chamber boards. Chezum\u2019s professional
\nexperience includes marketing, book and magazine publishing, direct mail campaigns, public relations,
\ngrant writing and strategic planning. She holds a bachelor\u2019s degree from Carroll University in Wisconsin
\nand an M.B.A. from Clarkson University. She earned a doctorate in law and policy from Northeastern
\nUniversity in Massachusetts. Chezum lives with her husband and son in Canton, N.Y.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Adirondack North Country is a special place for residents and visitors alike,\u201d said Chezum. \u201cANCA\u2019s
\nenergetic team collaborates with local communities to have a positive economic impact. It\u2019s an
\norganization that makes a real difference. As a board member supporting ANCA\u2019s mission, it’s important
\nto me \u2014 as a parent as well as a colleague and local business patron \u2014 that we have opportunities to
\nadvance the quality of life for our friends and neighbors, and create opportunity and prosperity for
\nfuture generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeSpirito brings over 25 years of experience in financial and portfolio management to ANCA\u2019s board. In
\naddition to his role at BlackRock, he is a visiting lecturer at Cornell\u2019s Johnson Graduate School of
\nManagement. Prior to joining BlackRock in 2014, he served as managing principal, portfolio manager and
\nexecutive committee member at Pzena Investment Management. He also served as an attorney with
\nRopes & Gray LLP. DeSpirito earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in economics with a concentration in finance
\nfrom the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a juris doctor degree from Harvard Law
\nSchool.<\/p>\n

“I am honored to serve on ANCA\u2019s board. As a business person and a long term part-time resident of the
\nAdirondack Park, I look forward to supporting ANCA\u2019s mission of growing the North Country economy in
\nways that serve the businesses and people who make our communities strong,\u201d said DeSpirito. \u201cIt was
\nwonderful to see at the annual meeting the range of impact that ANCA is already having. I am excited to
\nhelp advance this work across the region.”<\/p>\n

The September 23 meeting marked term limits for long-time board members Phil Giltner and Michele
\nLedoux, who were awarded resolutions in recognition of their service. Giltner, who works in New York
\nState\u2019s Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, has served for three consecutive three-year
\nterms since 2013. Ledoux, executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Lewis County, served
\non ANCA\u2019s board for three terms from 2009 to 2018 and an additional term from 2019 to 2022. Outgoing
\nboard chair Jim Sonneborn will continue to serve on the board one more year to support the leadership
\ntransition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an exciting time for ANCA where we are seeing broad reach and impact from our work in local
\nfood systems, small businesses, clean energy and equity and inclusion. This momentum is due in large
\npart to the support of a dedicated board of directors,\u201d said Cooper. \u201cWe are grateful to Phil, Michele and
\nJim for their years of service, and welcome Tony to this exceptional team.\u201d
\nANCA is an independent, nonprofit corporation with a transformational approach to building prosperity
\nacross northern New York. Using innovative strategies for food systems, clean energy, small businesses,
\nand equity and inclusion, ANCA delivers targeted interventions that create and sustain wealth and value
\nin local communities.<\/p>\n

Attached: one (1) PDF and two (2) photos<\/p>\n

Photo 1: Kelly Chezum, vice president of external relations at Clarkson University, is ANCA\u2019s new board
\npresident.<\/p>\n

Photo 2: Antonio DeSpirito, managing director of BlackRock, has joined ANCA\u2019s board of directors.
\n###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: October 7, 2022 Contact: Audrey Schwartzberg, ANCA Communications Officer, aschwartzberg@adirondack.org, 518.891.6200 Clarkson University\u2019s Kelly Chezum Elected First Woman Chair at ANCA Board of Directors announces slate of officers, welcomes new member Antonio DeSpirito SARANAC LAKE, N.Y. \u2014 The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) Board of Directors has announced the election of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nClarkson University\u2019s Kelly Chezum Elected First Woman Chair at ANCA - ANCA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adirondack.org\/press-release\/5770-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Clarkson University\u2019s Kelly Chezum Elected First Woman Chair at ANCA - 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