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For the past three years, Brett served as executive director of the WCA and director of the BLUEPRINT for Westchester, the WCA’s economic development initiative to drive innovation and attract and retain business in Westchester County and the region. William Mooney, Jr., will remain as chief executive officer of the WCA.
“Our organization now is poised to reposition Westchester as a vital hub in the Innovation Economy,” WCA Chairman William P. Harrington, said in a statement. “Marissa Brett is the right person, at the right time, to take us to new heights.”
Mooney explained that the WCA, a private-sector business leadership organization, is in the process of restructuring in response to the enormous changes taking place in the marketplace.
“The opportunities for Westchester are dramatic,” Mooney said in the statement. “The WCA is transitioning to meet the new needs of business, and the entrepreneurial, technology and healthcare sectors, especially as the New York metro region becomes the nation’s most important hub in the new economy. Marissa will lead the charge!”
Brett added in the statement that she plans to make changes at the WCA.
“It is my goal to continue the momentum spawned by the BLUEPRINT for Westchester by shaping a new and innovative strategy and I know we have the team in place to move Westchester County forward," she said in the statement. "I am humbled by the brilliance of those who have devoted countless hours to the BLUEPRINT, and deeply appreciative of the support of my colleagues.”
Prior to joining the WCA in July, 2011, Brett was vice president of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation (HVEDC), where she had a record of attracting investment and new jobs to the Hudson Valley over a six year period. She developed and implemented HVEDC’s real estate marketing program, launched a region-wide transaction database of all lease and sales transactions, and a quarterly report, “Hudson Valley Real Estate Transaction Tracker.” The result was that more than seven million square feet of commercial space was occupied and almost six thousand jobs were created.
Prior to joining HVEDC in 2005, she marketed a commercial real estate portfolio of 1.4 million square feet for Albert B. Ashforth, Inc. in White Plains.
Brett holds a bachelor of science degree from Fordham University, and an MCR in corporate real estate from CoreNet Global. She serves on the board of directors for the United Way of Westchester and Putnam, on the board of trustees for the College of Westchester Charitable Foundation and on the Leadership Council for the YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester. Brett lives in Carmel, N.Y., with her two sons.
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