Derek Crossman

Deputy Regional Director, Empire State Development, Mohawk Valley

About Derek

At Empire State Development, Derek supports municipalities, businesses, and industries across a dynamic six-county region, encompassing Oneida, Herkimer, Otsego, Fulton, Montgomery, and Schoharie. 

Prior to this, he served as Principal Planner for the City of Utica, where he worked on projects tied to the American Rescue Plan and Downtown Revitalization Initiative and participated in a wide range of city and collaborative initiatives related to economic development, community development, equity, housing, zoning, vacancy, transportation, and public art. In addition to his role on the Christopherson Center advisory board, Derek is an active board member of the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce.  

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At the Christopherson Center

Prior to his current positions, Derek worked for Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Rust2Green (R2G) Utica Program as Strategic Initiatives Coordinator, providing support and implementation assistance for R2G-initiated community projects, creative place making, and
sustainability research. He also has nearly four years of experience with the Utica Urban Renewal Agency (URA) providing administrative support for the redevelopment of Utica’s downtown. Derek  received a Master's in Regional Planning at the University at SUNY Albany; he received a Bachelor’s in Politics from Ithaca College with a focus in Integrated Marketing Communications in 2013.