CenterState CEO Announces New Leadership at The Tech Garden

CenterState CEO announced new leadership for The Tech Garden and for one of its signature programs, GENIUS NY. Jeff Fuchsberg is named vice president of CenterState CEO’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship portfolio. Sarah Hood is named Senior director of operations at The Tech Garden. Kara Jones is named the director of GENIUS NY.
 
As the vice president of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Fuchsberg is responsible for leading CenterState CEO’s entrepreneurship support programming, operated out of its incubator, The Tech Garden, located in downtown Syracuse.  He previously served as the director of GENIUS NY, a startup competition and one-year in-residence accelerator located at The Tech Garden. Fuchsberg brings several years of innovation and business development experience to his new role. Before joining CenterState CEO he was senior director of Innovation Projects at the Medical Center of the Americas Foundation in El Paso, Texas. In that role, he managed incubator operations, delivered programs to support innovation and entrepreneurship and supported ecosystem development. Fuchsberg holds a bachelor’s degree in entomology, magna cum laude with distinction in research, from Cornell University, and a juris doctorate from Syracuse University College of Law, summa cum laude, with an advanced certificate in technology commercialization law from the New York State Science & Technology Law Center. He is also certified as a business incubator manager by the International Business Innovation Association.
 
“We are excited to announce new leadership at The Tech Garden, as Jeff, Sara and Kara have been integral to the success of this portfolio and will enable us to scale our support for the companies we serve,” said Robert Simpson, president of CenterState CEO. “These new roles support the many changes and growth we are seeing across the ecosystem. They will each play a critical role as we embark on the expansion of The Tech Garden and its programs and operations.”
 
As, senior director of Operations at The Tech Garden, Hood is responsible for overseeing operations of The Tech Garden and will lead its strategic and business development. She most recently served as director of The Clean Tech Center at The Tech Garden. Before joining CenterState CEO she was the program manager for Saab Corporation. Hood also served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force. She earned a Master of Business Administration from Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Arts in public relations and communications from Jacksonville State University. She is a graduate of Leadership Greater Syracuse, class of 2019.
 
As director of GENIUS NY, Jones will manage the programming and support for companies in the GENIUS NY program, administered by CenterState CEO’s Tech Garden. She previously served as content and marketing manager and director of communications at The Tech Garden. Additionally, she has played a key role in supporting the success of the GENIUS NY program since its launch in 2017. Jones earned her master’s degree in integrated marketing communication from Marist College and her bachelor’s degree in public relations and business management from SUNY Oswego. She is a graduate of Leadership Greater Syracuse, class of 2020.