Annabel R. Chang Announced as Speaker for 2025 CenterState CEO Annual Meeting

SYRACUSE, NY—CenterState CEO will welcome the Central New York business community at its 2025 Annual Meeting at the Oncenter, April 23 2025. The event theme, Metamorphic, will explore how pressures from the current cycle of change create a moment of transformation and opportunity to emerge as something stronger.

CenterState CEO’s President Rob Simpson will deliver remarks that highlight the opportunities and challenges our community is faced with as it undergoes a process of significant change, and the key role that innovation plays in accelerating new possibilities for the future. Simpson will also announce the name of CenterState CEO’s expanded innovation hub, set to open this summer.

CenterState CEO will welcome Annabel R. Chang, director and head of state policy and government relations at autonomous driving technology company Waymo, to Syracuse for the event. At Waymo, Chang and her team have been instrumental in launching public autonomous vehicle services in California and other states. In a conversation during the event with CenterState CEO President Rob Simpson, Chang will share Waymo's and her own story of innovation and leadership in advancing rapidly evolving technologies, building trust, and navigating challenges and uncertainties – from a shifting regulatory landscape to public and consumer perception, and more.

Chang currently serves as the vice-chair and treasurer of the AV Industry Association. Previously, she was the first vice president at Alaska Airlines for the San Francisco Bay Area, acting as the senior leader for the airline in California. Annabel also shaped the transportation policy landscape as the director of public policy for Lyft, where she worked on the earliest policy initiatives related to ride-hailing and autonomous vehicles.

“Central New York is navigating a time of profound growth and change while facing new pressures and uncertainties,” said CenterState CEO President Rob Simpson. “As we go through this process and work toward solutions, we look to stories of those who have done this before. Waymo’s persistence and innovation enabled the company to find success in a challenging environment. It’s an honor to welcome Annabel to Central New York and I look forward to our engaging and thoughtful discussion at this year’s Annual Meeting. I’m certain our conversation will provide valuable insights to our attendees on how we can take the next big steps in this community.”

The event also unveils the prestigious Business of the Year Awards, recognizing member companies in five categories.

CenterState CEO’s 2025 Annual Meeting is open to the public and attendees can register online online to secure a ticket for the Annual Meeting, the region’s largest annual gathering business and community leaders. A networking reception, with hors d’oeuvres, beverages and music, will immediately follow the program, included in the ticket price.

REGISTRATION: 2:30 p.m.
PROGRAM: 3 to 4:30 p.m.
NETWORKING RECEPTION: 4:30 to 6 p.m.

About Waymo

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the most trusted driver. Since its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver—The World’s Most Experienced Driver™—to improve everyone’s access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One, currently provides hundreds of thousands of paid passenger trips every week across San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin, enabled by its experience autonomously driving tens of millions of miles on public roads in 13+ U.S. States. For more: www.waymo.com.