Lenore VanderZee is the Vice President for Strategic Relations & Communications at the State University of New York at Canton, where she works on economic development, workforce, and innovation/entrepreneurship initiatives, including oversight of the Center for Community, Workforce, & Industry Partnerships, the Small Business Development Center, and the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs. In addition, she also serves as the chief public relations & government relations officer for the college. 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 boards and committees, including the St. Lawrence County 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 Economic Development Steering Committee. In her spare time, she also loves to hike in the beautiful Adirondack mountains, play board games with her family, and perform with her folk/Americana band, Uprooted.