St. Bonaventure's McGee to Serve withRegional Economic Development Group

Brenda L. McGee, senior vice president for finance and administration at St. Bonaventure University, has been named to serve on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development group for Higher Education.

The Higher Education group was appointed by the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council to work in conjunction with the council to develop a five-year strategic plan for long-term, sustainable regional economic growth with higher education as the driver of that growth. The plan will establish a vision and provide a framework for regional growth, leveraging the strength of higher education and other strengths in Western New York and address the needs of the region.

The Western New York council is one of 10 councils statewide appointed by the governor. Each council is tasked with developing a strategic plan for the development of their region. The governor has set a Nov. 14 deadline for strategic plan submissions, and has announced $200 million in capital funds and state tax credits to support regional council strategies.

The governor’s regional approach to economic development constitutes a transformative, community-driven approach that aims to build partnerships between the state and the private sector and higher education and create more jobs, investment, industry and stronger communities in the region. The Western New York region includes Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties, representing approximately 20 institutions of higher education.

The Western New York Regional Council is led by Satish K. Tripathi, president of University at Buffalo, and Howard A. Zemsky, the managing partner at Larkin Development Group.

For more information about the Western New York Regional Council, visit www.nyworks.ny.gov.