CenterState CEO Announces Key Leadership Changes and Promotions

The CenterState CEO Board of Directors today voted to approve leadership changes for the organization designed to position it for continued growth and impact at a transformative moment for Central New York’s economy. The approved changes formally separate the roles of Chief Executive Officer and President, aligning the organization’s leadership structure with its scale, strategic priorities and expanding regional responsibilities.

“This transition reflects the strength of CenterState CEO’s leadership bench and the maturity of its internal systems,” said Stephen D. Fournier, Chairman of CenterState CEO’s Board of Directors and Market President-Central New York, KeyBank, N.A. “It ensures the organization is structured to meet the continuously rising need from members, partners and the broader community while continuing to serve as a bold, strategic regional convenor and leader.”
Under the new structure:

• Rob Simpson will continue to serve as Chief Executive Officer, focusing on long-term strategy and vision-setting, external leadership, key partnerships, thought leadership on critical regional issues, mentoring senior leaders, and advancing mission-critical strategic initiatives and long-term revenue growth.
• Ben Sio will assume the role of President, overseeing day-to-day organizational management, program delivery and compliance, internal operations, operational revenue management, and execution of the organization’s growth strategy. 

The President will report to the CEO, and members of the Corporate Leadership Team will report to the President. Both leaders will share responsibility for maintaining and strengthening the organization’s culture.

“Over the past 16 years, CenterState CEO has expanded our impact and the breadth of our work, leading efforts from Tech Hubs to ONRAMP and expanding the INSPYRE Innovation Hub,” said Simpson. “At this moment of historic opportunity, the organization must continue to evolve its leadership structures to ensure our team is positioned to lead with focus, agility and the long-term vision our community expects and deserves. This restructuring also enables a stronger emphasis on new revenue strategies to support continued growth and impact.”

“By organizing our leadership in this way, we are better positioned to equally prioritize strong internal operations and disciplined execution while advancing a clear, data-driven external vision to drive regional progress,” said Sio, president of CenterState CEO. “We remain energized in our commitment to delivering programs and outcomes with excellence, turning strategy into meaningful, measurable impact. I am excited about the opportunity to work alongside all of our teams to advance our shared goals and foster innovation, while maintaining a high level of transparency and accountability. This leadership transition will help us continue to build real momentum and position our organization to grow with purpose, scale new programs, and create real, long-term positive change.”

In addition to the executive realignment, Kevin Schwab has been named as Senior Vice President of Strategy, Policy and Planning, the role previously held by Ben Sio. This promotion will ensure continued focus and momentum across its strategic and policy priorities.

The changes take effect immediately following Board approval. To learn more about CenterState CEO, its staff and programs please visit: www.centerstateceo.com.