Gov. Cuomo Announces Nomination of Eric Gertler to Serve as President and CEO of Empire State Development

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo this week announced the nomination of Eric Gertler to serve as President and CEO of Empire State Development (ESD), New York State’s chief economic development agency. Mr. Gertler, who is currently the Executive Chairman of U.S. News & World Report and has been on the board of ESD since June 2018, will assume his role effective September 3, 2019. He will replace Howard Zemsky, who will remain Chair of the ESD Board.

“Eric is an innovative leader who spent decades at the intersection of business, media and government – making him uniquely suited to run our chief economic development and tourism agency,” Governor Cuomo said in a statement. “I’m grateful to Howard for continuing to serve as chairman of the board after a successful term overseeing this administration’s locally-driven economic development strategy and in particular helping turn around Buffalo’s economy and bringing young people back to Upstate cities. New York is the better for his service and the combination of these two fantastic leaders will be dynamite for future growth across the state.”

In addition to his role as Executive Chairman of U.S. News & World Report, the nation’s leading news authority on rankings, Mr. Gertler has also overseen Ulysses Ventures, a multi-strategy investment fund based in New York City. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation and as Managing Director of the Center for Economic Transformation under multiple mayoral administrations, where he was responsible for spurring economic development by overseeing more than 100 initiatives and directing hundreds of millions of dollars of city investments into the local economy. Among these initiatives, Gertler spearheaded the City’s $150 million life science fund and associated programs to accelerate the life sciences industry in New York City, oversaw development of the City’s tech platform digital.nyc and expanded the BigApps civic competition.

Mr. Gertler is a published author and has written and spoken extensively on key policy issues and economic development priorities ranging from urban and state matters, workforce development, infrastructure investment, technology advancement and entrepreneurship and innovation. He serves as a trustee to the Zuckerman Institute and Zuckerman Family Foundation, and as a board member of Columbia University’s Zuckerman Mind Brain and Behavior Institute. He is on the Board of Governors for Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University as well as the Weizmann Institute of Science. He is a member of Young Presidents’ Organization and has served as a past Chair of the New York Metro chapter. He is also the Chairman of the American-Israel Friendship League. From 2015 to 2017, Mr. Gertler served as Co-Chairman and Co-Publisher of the New York Daily News. He began his career as an attorney with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

A graduate of Brown University, Mr. Gertler holds degrees from the Sorbonne at the University of Paris, Institut D’Etudes Politiques in Paris and a law degree from American University, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Law Review.

Incoming President and CEO of Empire State Development Eric Gertler said, “I thank Governor Cuomo for the confidence he is placing in me and for the privilege to serve New York State and its citizens. I have boundless faith in the economic potential of New York State, and I look forward to supporting Governor Cuomo in further strengthening our dynamic economy for this and future generations. As we continue to attract business investment, stimulate new industry, reinforce our existing infrastructure and invest in workforce development, we will build on New York State’s legacy as one of the nation’s most decisive economic engines.”