Jess Abbott Promoted to Senior Vice President of Member and Business Experience

CenterState CEO is excited to promote Jess Abbott to Senior Vice President of Member and Business Experience. In this role, Abbott is chiefly responsible for driving value for the organization’s members. As Senior Vice President of Member and Business Experience, Abbott is the leading liaison in driving member engagement with the organization’s programs, services and initiatives. 

Since joining CenterState CEO in 2023, Abbott has fortified relationships with key members, sparked new engagements and achieved remarkable gains in member retention. Abbott has brought on and engaged dozens of new investor members and supported the onboarding of new members at all levels while ensuring a 95% retention rate.    

Abbott succeeds Andrew Fish in the role, whose years of leadership and commitment to the organization helped to drive CenterState CEO’s mission forward. 

“It is an honor to step into this role at such an exciting and pivotal time for our organization and region. I’m deeply grateful for the strong foundation we’ve built with our members and colleagues and I’m continually inspired by the people and businesses that drive this region forward,” Abbott said. 

Abbott’s new role is effective Oct. 20, 2025.  

CenterState CEO is also pleased to announce additional new hires within its Inclusive Growth team, the Greater Syracuse Business Development Corporation  and ON-RAMP Syracuse. 

Kyle Hale is CenterState CEO’s Small Business Relationship Specialist. Hale also supports the Greater Syracuse Business Development Corporation. In this role, he guides clients through small business lending and grantmaking activities. He also assists with federal grant-funded programs that support the NYS I-SMART Corridor Tech Hub. Prior to his role at CenterState CEO, Hale served as a loan specialist for USDA Rural Development's Rural Business and Cooperative Services. 

Anna Nguyen joins CenterState CEO as the Director of Economic Development. Ngyuen works with members of CenterState CEO’s Inclusive Growth team to manage its business, expansion, attraction and retention work. She has experience in federal government consulting and a master's degree in public policy and science in information from the University of Michigan. 

Kadashea Smith is ON-RAMP's Workforce Enrollment and Trainee Success Coordinator. Smith helps coordinate and support programs that serve diverse and underrepresented communities in high-demand industries like advanced manufacturing and construction. She has over a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector with a strong focus on program development and improvement. Smith currently serves on the board of Families for Lead Freedom Now and is actively involved in community organizations promoting social justice and economic inclusion.