Gov. Spitzer Names Upstate Eco Development Chair

Gov. Eliot Spitzer has nominated Daniel Gundersen to serve as Upstate chair of the Empire State Development Corp. and Ken Schoetz to serve as COO of the Upstate Development Corp. The two men will oversee efforts to recruit new business and support existing businesses in the North Country, Central New York, Southern Tier and Western New York, according to state officials.

"Dan Gundersen brings tremendous economic development experience to New York State," Spitzer says. "Paired with Ken Schoetz, we have the right team in place to bring much needed energy and focus to Upstate economic development through the newly created Upstate ESDC headquarters."

Based in Buffalo, Gundersen will oversee the Upstate headquarters as well as eight regional economic development offices, and will co-chair the Empire State Development Corp., along with Pat Foye, the acting Downstate Chair.

Since 2003, Gundersen has served as executive deputy secretary of Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development. In this role he served as the department's COO, directing operations that exceeded $665 million a year. From 2000 to 2003, Gundersen served as assistant secretary at the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.

Schoetz has served in numerous senior positions in public service and as an attorney in private practice. He has government experience at both the state and local level, including serving for the last four years as assistant attorney general in charge of the Buffalo regional office. While in that position he was one of New York's representatives on the Peace Bridge Authority. From 1988 to 1999 he worked in county government including seven years as Erie County Attorney.