Joining the Region’s Major Stakeholders
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President Havidán Rodríguez, new co-chair of the Capital Region Economic Development Council.(University at Albany photo)
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ALBANY, N.Y. (Dec. 12, 2017) – UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez was appointed co-chair of the Capital Region Economic Development Council (CREDC) on Monday. The CREDC is a council made up of stakeholders from business, academia, government and non-governmental organizations, charged with supporting and promoting economic growth across the eight-county Capital Region.
Rodríguez will serve as academic co-chair with James J. Barba, president and CEO of Albany Medical Center, and succeeding James R. Stellar, UAlbany provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, who served as the University’s interim president from September 2016 to September 2017.
“Dr. Rodríguez brings to the table more than 25 years as a leader in higher education and a deep understanding of diverse populations and we are excited to welcome him as academic Co-Chair to the Capital Region Economic Development Council,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, chair of New York’s Regional Economic Development Councils.
“We have an ambitious agenda ahead of us as we continue to transform the Capital Region into a leader of technology, creativity and ingenuity.”
Rodríguez said he’s looking forward to serving on the council. “I want to thank Governor Cuomo for his leadership through this visionary approach to economic development, and for appointing me to serve on behalf of the University at Albany. I also wish to thank Jim Stellar for his very hard work as co-chair for Round VII and for supporting the ongoing success of the Council.”
Stellar said, “It has been my privilege to serve as CREDC Co-Chair and to help continue the momentum that the Council has gathered across the Capital Region. I am thrilled that President Rodríguez is taking the reins to maintain UAlbany’s critical role as an anchor institution and economic driver for our communities.”
The Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative began in 2011, when Gov. Cuomo established 10 regional councils to develop long-term strategic plans for economic growth for their regions. The Councils are public-private partnerships that use a community-based, bottom up approach to a competitive process for State resources.
After six rounds of the REDC process, over $4.6 billion has been awarded to job creation and community development projects consistent with each region’s strategic plan, projecting to create and retain more than 210,000 jobs.
Through six rounds of the REDC initiative, the Capital Region has secured $436.9 million in State funding to support more than 600 projects. The CREDC is composed of Albany, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington counties.
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