Lenore VanderZee is the Executive Director for University Relations at the State University of New York at Canton, where she oversees economic development initiatives (including the Small Business Development Center), public & community relations, and government relations. She is the campuslead for the creation of an innovative community-serving Entrepreneurship Center in downtown Canton. She is passionate about rural economic development and placemaking in her beloved North Country New York region. In addition to her day job, she serves on several community boardsand committees, including the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce,the Canton Chamber of Commerce, the Women’s Leadership Initiative of the North Country, Canton-Potsdam Hospital, the Canton Community Fund,the St. Lawrence County Small Business Group, and the Canton EconomicDevelopment Steering Committee. In her spare time, she also loves to ride her bike, play board games with her kids, and make music with her folk/Americana band, Uprooted.