TCIDA Board of Directors
Rich John
Chair
rjohn@tompkins-co.org
607-256-9794
First appointed to IDA: 1/14/16
Current IDA term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/21
Tompkins County Legislature
Rich has spent twenty years as a general practice partner in a local law firm, and nine years serving as the general counsel and vice president of compliance for a global product testing and inspection company, Intertek. Currently, Rich John is a member of the Government Operations Committee and serves as the Chair of the Public Safety Committee.
Martha Robertson
Vice Chair
607-592-3119
First appointed to IDA: 2/20/06
Current IDA term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/21
Tompkins County Legislature
Jeff Gorsky
jgorsky@swcllp.com
607-272-5550
First appointed to IDA: 12/15/20
Current IDA term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/22
IAED Board Appointment
Jeff Gorsky, CPA, is a partner at Sciarabba Walker & Co., LLP. He joined the firm in 1992 and has been a partner since 2001. He is head of the firm’s Consulting department and leads the High Technology group. His primary emphasis is on small-business consulting and taxation issues.
Over the years, he has assisted clients in strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions, business valuations, financing, and new business startups. Jeff graduated from Villanova University and previously worked for Chase Manhattan Bank in the Operations & Systems Management Development Program.
Mike Sigler
msigler@tompkins-co.org
607-339-7978
First appointed to IDA: 2/8/18
Current IDA term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/21
Tompkins County Legislature
Mike Sigler has served on the Tompkins County Legislature for two non-consecutive terms from 2006 to 2010 and then from 2014 to present. Mike also works for Park Outdoor Advertising full time. Mike worked in television, as an Anchor, Reporter and Producer.
Todd Bruer
Todd Bruer
First appointed to TCIDA: 2/4/21
Current TCIDA term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/22
Organized labor Representative
John Guttridge
john@urbancoreithaca.com
607-277-8585 x 00
First appointed to IDA: 6/4/18
Current IDA term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/22
At-Large Director
John Guttridge founded Brightworks Computer Consulting (then Black Box Computer Consulting) in 2004 as a one-man operation based in his dining room and grew it to a 16 employee operation. He is deeply involved in the ongoing redevelopment of downtown Ithaca. He serves on the Board of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance (where he chairs the Downtown Operations Committee), the Board of the State Theater of Ithaca, and is President of the State Theater Foundation Board. He is also integral to the team of people that works to bring Wizarding Weekend to life.
Laura Lewis
Secretary/Treasurer
llewis@cityofithaca.org
607-279-2075
First appointed to IDA: 2/8/18
Current IDA term: 1/1/21 – 12/31/22
Elected Municipal Official
Laura Lewis is a 40-year resident of the City of Ithaca. She worked at Cornell University in student services in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations for 30 years. She retired in 2016. She sat on the Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services (INHS) Board of Directors for many years, and at one point served as the board’s president. Laura was elected to the City of Ithaca Common Council in November 2017 where she represents the City’s 5th Ward.
TCIDA Administrative Director
The Tompkins County Industrial Development Agency is managed by Ithaca Area Economic Development.
Heather McDaniel
Administrative Director, Tompkins County IDA
President, Ithaca Area Economic Development
401 East State/MLK Jr. Street, Suite 402B
Ithaca, NY 14850
heatherm@ithacaareaED.org
607-273-0005
TCIDA Legal Counsel
Russell Gaenzle – Attorney at Law
Harris Beach PLLC
99 Garnsey Road
Pittsford, NY 14534
585-419-8801
TCIDA Advisory Committee
Katherine Borgella
Tompkins County Planning Department
kborgella
607-274-5560
Jason Molino
Tompkins County Administrator
jmolino
607-274-5551
Richard Snyder
Controller, Tompkins County Finance Department
rsnyder@tompkins-co.org
607-274-5545
Additional TCIDA Committees
Finance & Audit Committee
(Audit Committee established 2008;
Finance & Audit Committee established 2018)
Rich John
John Guttridge
Jeff Gorsky
Housing Committee
(Housing Committee established 2019)
Laura Lewis
Martha Robertson
John Guttridge
Nels Bohn (IURA)
Joe Bowes (INHS)
Seph Murtagh (City of Ithaca)
Jennifer Kusznir (City of Ithaca)
Governance Committee
(Governance Committee established 2008)
Rich John
Mike Sigler
Laura Lewis
Labor Committee
(Labor Committee established 2020)
Mike Sigler – Chair
Martha Robertson
Anne Koreman
Todd Bruer
Tim Logue, City of Ithaca representative