ALBANY, NY (12/19/2011)- Heather Briccetti, the current acting-president and CEO of The Business Council of New York State, Inc., was named president and CEO by The Business Council today.

The designation came as a result of a nine-month nationwide search by a board-level search committee and was announced by Business Council Board Chair David F. Smith.

"After a thorough national search, we determined that Heather Briccetti is the best person for this important position. Heather is a strong executive and leader with the drive and determination to make government officials focus on the needs of our members," said Smith, Chairman and CEO of National Fuel Gas Company, "The enactment of a two-percent real property tax cap and the creation of Recharge NY program that will support thousands of jobs, clearly indicate Heather's ability to facilitate real change in Albany."

"As president I will continue to make The Business Council an even stronger voice in Albany," said Briccetti. "Our focus will continue to be on fiscal reforms that will spur private sector job growth. We will continue to work with the Governor, Senate and Assembly, as well as other pro-business organizations, to encourage investment, create jobs and lower the cost of doing business in New York State."

Briccetti succeeds former president and CEO Kenneth Adams, who had been appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to be the next president, CEO and commissioner of Empire State Development.

"At a time when many prominent Business Council member organizations are run by women including: Virginia Rometty of IBM, Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo, Ursula Burns of Xerox, Ellen J. Kullman of DuPont and Meg Whitman of Hewlett-Packard, Heather Briccetti becomes the first woman to hold the position of Business Council President," added Smith.

"Across New York, women are making tremendous progress in the world of business. I am honored to be the first woman to lead The Business Council and I hope to continue our push for a more business friendly environment that respects women and the work they do to make this state a great place to do business," said Briccetti.

Briccetti joined The Business Council as vice president of government affairs in December of 2007. Briccetti previously served as an assistant counsel to the New York State Senate Majority, working on a range of issues, including economic development, budget reform and consumer protection. She also worked for the Assembly Majority for several years, serving as a legislative aide and counsel to the Committee on Racing and Wagering.

She has also served as special counsel in the office of the state Attorney General, where her responsibilities included coordinating activities between the bureaus in the Attorney General's office and the state Legislature and the Governor's office.

Briccetti received her undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton and her law degree from Albany Law School. Briccetti now lives in Brunswick, outside of Albany, with her three sons.

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