News:

August 10, 2009

JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT ELECTS OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

            Latham, NY – At a recent meeting of the board of directors for Junior Achievement of Northeastern New York, the organization installed a new Chairperson and Executive Committee while welcoming five new community leaders to the board of directors.

            Christine Mesick, Vice President, First Niagara Bank was elected to serve as Board Chair for the organization for the next two years. Joining her on the executive committee are: Frank Degraw, Sunmark Federal Credit Union; Sarah Halliday, M&T Bank; Steve Obermayer, BBL Construction Services; Al Picchi, Realty USA; Mark Poskanzer, Troy Web Consulting; Tim Sinnenberg, Charlton Heights Elementary School; Elmer Streeter, St. Peter’s Health Care Services; Tony Suraci, Cisco Systems; Kevin Hunziker, First Niagara Bank and John Blowers,  Tilt Productions,  LLC.

            Five members of the local business community were elected to one-year renewable terms of office. Those elected to join the 50 member board include: Brian Akley, Vice President Marketing, MLB Construction Services; Karen Finnerty, Vice President, Bank of America; Randy Hughes, Director, Human Resources, AMRI; Donald Orlando, Vice President Real Estate, Golub Corporation; Mike Simone, District Manager, Hannaford Supermarkets.

            “We are delighted to welcome each of these individuals to the board of directors”, said Junior Achievement president, Ed Murray. “I look forward to working directly with each of them and the new executive committee as we focus on providing young people with the skills they will need to succeed in the 21st Century”.

            Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, Junior Achievement provides in-school and after-school programs for students which focus on three key content areas: work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Today, 172 schools in twelve counties participate in Junior Achievement involving more than 25,100 students from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

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