ALBANY - The Business Council of New York State has elected a new chairman, vice chairman, and vice chair for finance, as well as four new directors. The elections took place at Sept. 20 The Council's Annual Meeting in Bolton Landing.
William Allyn, chairman and CEO of Welch Allyn Ventures, LLC, has been elected chairman of The Council's board of directors. In that role, he will have oversight responsibilities for all Business Council activities for the next 12 months. He has served for the last 12 months as vice chairman of The Business Council. He succeeds Peter Bijur, chairman and CEO of Texaco Inc., who will remain a member of The Council's board.
Robert B. Catell, chairman and CEO of KeySpan Energy, has been elected vice chairman. In that role, he will chair The Business Council's Policy Committee, which oversees the development of The Council's public policy priorities and its legislative strategies. He is in line to succeed Allyn next year.
Alair Townsend, publisher of Crain's New York Business, has been re-elected vice chair for finance. She has served in that role for seven years.
Four new directors have been elected to The Council's board. They are:
- Andrew D. Herbert, plant manager of the Buffalo Stamping Plant, Ford Motor Company.
- John G. Rice, executive vice president and CEO, GE Power Systems in Schenectady.
- Sidney "Jay" Ward III, president, Ward Lumber Company in Jay, New York.
- Samuel A. DiPiazza, chairman and senior partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
Two new trustees have been elected to the board of The Public Policy Institute of New York State, the research affiliate of The Business Council:
- Karen Hitchcock, president, University at Albany, State University of New York.
- Albert J. Simone, president, Rochester Institute of Technology.
The Business Council is New York's largest broad-based business group, representing nearly 4,000 member companies large and small across the state. Based in Albany, it lobbies for a better business climate and offers cost-cutting services to its members.
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