Three Named to Potsdam College Foundation Board of Trustees

Potsdam College Foundation Welcomes Wayne Zanetti '72, Emily Lauzon '96 and Tesfa Alexander '02 to Board of Trustees

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Wayne Zanetti ’72 has been named a trustee of the Potsdam College Foundation Board.

POTSDAM, NY (10/28/2014)(readMedia)-- The Potsdam College Foundation Board of Trustees elected three new members at its fall meeting.

Emily Lauzon '96 and Wayne Zanetti '72 will serve as trustees, while Tesfa Alexander '02 was named as the Foundation Board's first-ever associate trustee. These accomplished SUNY Potsdam graduates will help steward their alma mater, as the foundation works to build a bright future for the College.

"The Potsdam College Foundation will strongly benefit from the depth of expertise, broad array of experience and strong sense of dedication that our new trustees bring to the table," said Foundation Executive Director Vicki Templeton-Cornell. "As we continue to advance the highly successful Take the Lead Campaign, SUNY Potsdam is fortunate to have dedicated alumni volunteers like Wayne, Emily and Tesfa."

About the trustees:

Dr. Tesfa Alexander '02 is currently the director of research and evaluation in the Office of Health Communication and Education at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Tobacco Products. He earned his doctorate in cross-cultural health communication at the University of Memphis, after completing his Master of Arts degree in organizational communication at Emerson College, and his Bachelor of Arts degree in English writing and speech communication at SUNY Potsdam. At the FDA, Alexander leads the development and implementation of research activities that inform the creation of tobacco education campaigns, such as "The Real Cost" and other health communication initiatives. Alexander also serves as an adjunct professor of health communication at the University of Memphis. An accomplished photographer, he is also the creator of the national "I Am" photo project, which celebrates the lives, struggles and joys of black men across the United States. While at SUNY Potsdam, Alexander was the president of the Black Student Alliance, in addition to serving as a resident assistant and mentor. As an undergraduate, he received several recognitions, including the 2002 Student Leadership Award presented by the Division of Student Affairs. As an alumnus, he was invited to return as the keynote speaker for SUNY Potsdam's 2010 Dr. Millard and Ruth Harmon Student Leader Conference.

Emily Lauzon '96 is the assistant general manager of the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort in Hogansburg, N.Y. After earning a bachelor's degree in industrial labor relations, with a minor in business economics, from SUNY Potsdam, Lauzon started her gaming career at the resort as the associate relations manager in 1999. She quickly transitioned to become the human resources director. In 2003, Lauzon left the gaming industry to serve as a tribal sub-chief for the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, for a three-year term. Afterward, she returned to the casino, becoming the director of education and recruitment in 2006. Lauzon has been instrumental in guiding the culture of the business, as well as the upward mobility of the employees she oversees. In 2012, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council selected Lauzon to become the general manager of the Mohawk Bingo Palace. With the merger of the Mohawk Bingo Palace and the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino, Lauzon assumed the position of the assistant general manager.

Wayne Zanetti '72 is the president and chief executive officer of Jeff Bank, an independent community bank with 12 locations in the Catskills. During his time at SUNY Potsdam, Zanetti was a member of the Psi Phi Delta Fraternity and was also a member of the Bears Cross-Country Team. He received his bachelor's degree in computer science in 1972. Zanetti went on to graduate with distinction from both the Graduate School of Operations and Technology at Vanderbilt University, and the Graduate School of Retail Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After serving in the U.S. Army Reserves, Zanetti got his start in the banking world, starting as a teller in Ellenville, N.Y. His hard work and knack for finances led him up the ladder, to accounts and then to treasurer. Then, he was named operations officer, where he oversaw a number of mergers. In 1999, he accepted a position at Jeff Bank as the vice president of operations. A year later, he was named the chief operating officer. Zanetti held that position until 2009, when he was promoted to become the president and CEO. He plans to retire from Jeff Bank at the end of 2015, but will continue to be a member of the board of directors for the bank and its holding company, Jeffersonville Bancorp. Zanetti has displayed his dedication to civic responsibility, serving as a board member for the Sullivan ARC Foundation and the Community Foundations of both Orange and Sullivan Counties. In addition, he is the president of the Daniel Pierce Library, the Grahamsville Rural Cemetery Association and the treasurer of the Emerald Corporate Center Economic Development Corporation.

About the Potsdam College Foundation:

Established in 1968, the Potsdam College Foundation is a non-profit corporation dedicated to stewarding the continued growth of private giving in support of SUNY Potsdam. Its mission is to ensure a quality future for the College and its people, by establishing endowments to support scholarships and programs to ensure campus needs are met. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu/giving/pcf.

Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,300 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts. Empowered by a culture of creativity, the campus community recently launched Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam, which aims to raise $27 million by the College's bicentennial in 2016.

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