Staff Members
Mark Geise, Chief Executive Officer
Mark Geise was appointed as Deputy County Executive for Economic Development and Chief Executive Officer of the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) in March of 2018.
Mark brings more than three decades of public and private sector business and economic development-related experience to his position. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Design and a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from the University at Buffalo, and started his career in 1991 as Director of Development for the City of Dunkirk where he served for two years. For over a decade following this experience, Mark worked in the glass manufacturing sector, concluding his foray in this field as Plant Manager for ACA Reflective Glass products in Dunkirk. From 2002 through 2009, Mark was employed as a Senior Planner for Ecology & Environment (Lancaster, NY), an international environmental engineering firm, where he worked as a land-use planner and marketing liaison for Middle East operations. In 2009, Mark was appointed to the position of Deputy Director of Planning & Economic Development for Chautauqua County, where he worked until 2016. After a one-year stint with Jamestown Renaissance Corporation as a Senior Planner, Mark was appointed as Director of Economic Development for the County of Monroe, where he served for 18 months.
Over the course of his career, Mark has been successful in a wide variety of economic development-related projects and initiatives. These include developing new programs, processes, and procedures for the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency; founding the Chautauqua County Land Bank Corporation and serving as its original Executive Director; Project Manager for the award-winning Chautauqua County Comprehensive Plan completed and adopted by the legislature in 2011; Project Manager for the ongoing Chautauqua County Equestrian Trail initiative in Cherry Creek; Project Manager for the Chautauqua Lake Macrophyte Management Strategy; Project Manager for the creation of the Chautauqua Lake and Watershed Management Alliance; Member of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) Team that secured $10 Million of state funds for economic development projects in Jamestown; member of the Western New York Regional Economic Development (REDC) Smart Growth Committee; member of the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency from 2009 through 2016 (to name a few); Member of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) Team that secured $10 Million of state funds for economic development projects in Dunkirk; Secured $10.6 Million of EDA Cares Act funding for the CCIDA to create a new low-interest loan fund; and Secured $5.25 Million of FAST NY Funding for the Ripley Shovel-Ready site. Mark has also been instrumental in securing countless other grants through state and regional funding sources for a wide variety of projects in Chautauqua County and elsewhere, and has been the project manager for a number of award-winning planning projects.
Mark resides in Fredonia with his wife Katie Geise, Executive Director of the Chautauqua County Workforce Investment Board. They have three children; Mark, Aiden and Keely.
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Richard Dixon, Chief Financial Officer
Rich has served as the Director of Finance for the CCIDA, CREDC, and CRC since 2006. He has primary responsibility for financial management and human resources. His duties include preparation of the annual budget and cost allocation plan, oversight of the general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll. He also works closely with Empire State Development and area industry leaders to develop and fund expansion and retention projects within Chautauqua County.
Prior to joining CCIDA, Rich served as Director of Finance for Chautauqua Works and the Private Industry Council of Chautauqua County. He has also served as Director of Human Resources for Chautauqua Opportunities and the Chautauqua County Department of Social Services, and as Assistant Administrator/Accounting Supervisor for Lutheran Social Services of Upstate New York.
A native of Western New York, Rich received his BS degree in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Fredonia, with a concentration in Financial Management. He also holds an Associates in Business Administration from Jamestown Community College and is a NYS Licensed Nursing Home Administrator. He resides in Jamestown with his wife.
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