Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne congratulated Ian R. Maxwell on his appointment to the Northern New York Power Proceeds Allocation Board. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo appointed Maxwell as the fifth and final member of the board earlier this month.
Mr. Maxwell will attend his first meeting as a board member on Tuesday.
The 2010 graduate of Clarkson University, is employed as a technical sales representative for DeFelsko Corporation, Ogdensburg, where he is responsible for software product development, as well as managing the distributor sales network in Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and parts of the Middle East.
He was recommended for the seat by New York State Assembly Speaker Carl J. Heastie following consultation with Assemblywoman Jenne.
The legislation establishing the five-member power proceeds board calls for one of the board members to be appointed upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the Assembly and a second board member to be appointed upon the recommendation of the temporary president of the senate. Both of those members must reside in St. Lawrence County.
"I'm pleased the Speaker saw the importance of recommending a young professional like Ian to the governor for an appointment to this board, which has the potential to be another important tool in our economic development efforts," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
"I think it is important to have a fresh voice sitting at the table with the seasoned members as this board works to enhance the economic development opportunities in the North Country," she noted.
"Ian graduated from Massena Central High School and Clarkson University and has chosen to remain in the North Country to begin his professional career here, where he is active in the local community," Assemblywoman Jenne added.
"The Speaker shares my belief that it is important to give seats at the table to fresh faces as we make decisions aimed at providing employment opportunities to grow our local economy and to help stem the brain drain that has resulted in so many of our young people leaving the area to find employment with a livable wage. Ian will be able to bring the perspective of the young professional wanting to make his career in the North Country to those discussions," she noted.
Mr. Maxwell helped launch the Massena Visionaries – a grassroots organization working to
foster community pride through volunteerism - in 2014. He has also served since September 2015 on the Moving Massena Forward Coalition and is on the board of directors for the Massena Arts and
Theater Association.
He graduated from Clarkson University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, focusing on Business Technology Management: Entrepreneurship.
Assemblywoman Jenne noted she also felt it was important to have someone from Massena on the power proceeds board. Massena, a municipality with a significant portion of its waterfront property on the St. Lawrence River controlled by federal and state entities, hosts the St. Lawrence-FDR Project.
The Northern New York Power Proceeds Act, which Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law in December 2014, authorizes NYPA to deposit the net earnings from the sale of a block of unallocated electricity from the Power Authority’s St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project. The fund has already accrued nearly $2 million.
The board is charged with soliciting and reviewing funding applications from businesses and not-for-profit organizations in St. Lawrence County.
It is expected to begin making recommendations next week for funding allocations to the NYPA Board of Trustees, which would approve any funding.
Eligibility criteria and application instructions are at the proceeds board’s website at www.nypa.gov/NNYPPAB.
The proceeds board will rely on similar criteria for determining funding recipients as those for NYPA’s hydropower allocations to Northern New York businesses. They include jobs, capital investments and the long-term commitments to the region of applicants.
Other members of the power proceeds allocation board appointed by Governor Cuomo are Patrick Kelly, chief executive officer of the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency; Robert McNeil, partner in McNeil Accounting Services, Lisbon, and former St. Lawrence County treasurer; Theresa Phalon, president and CEO of North Country Savings Bank; and Roger Sharlow, principal of RJS Consulting, Waddington.