Meet the Staff

Norris Pearson worked at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for 29 years. For the past 23 years, he served in operations roles at RPI, where he managed a 6,000-seat arena and oversaw event staffing, box office operations, public safety, and emergency services associated with events. His work has included negotiating contracts, collaborating with other campus departments on revenue strategies, overseeing capital improvements, conducting risk assessment, and managing a staff of six full-time and 30 part-time staff members. He also worked closely with the City of Troy on code compliance and emergency protocols. He brings decades of experience as a community connector with expertise in convening a diverse set of stakeholders to advance a common goal. He has a passion for our region and our business community. His high level of energy, positions our organization well for growing our membership and expanding programming.

Norris has been involved with the chamber for many years and was a member of the inaugural class of the Leadership Institute in 2006. He is a member of the YMCA of Troy Advisory Council and is a past recipient of the YMCA’s President’s Award. He is a former member of the Troy BID Special Events Planning Committee and the RPI Community Relations Committee. He also is a member of the International Ticketing Association, the Association of Collegiate Conference and Events Directors – International, and the International Association of Assembly Managers.

Norris and his wife, Marguerite Pearson, who is the director of marketing and communications at the Mohawk-Hudson Humane Society, are longtime residents of Troy, having lived in the city for nearly 30 years.

Lucas joined the Chamber team in June of 2023 as the Events Coordinator. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from running his own event promotions and celebrity/athlete services business. He will be responsible for developing, organizing, and executing member only and community inclusive events. Lucas loves working with people and fully embraces the power of networking.  His passion to help others and his never settle attitude will be instrumental for the re-development of events post COVID-19.

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Orion was brought on to the Chamber team in June of 2023 as the Membership Manager. As the Membership Manager he will work to grow the Chamber, while maintaining great relationships with current members. With his experience in the banking industry and a bachelor’s degree in political science from John Jay College, he knows how important businesses, and the hardworking people in those companies, are to their communities. Being a native of Brooklyn, he is excited to meet more of these amazing people and continue to build the Chamber community to its fullest potential.

Jennifer Tedesco joined the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce in September 2024 as Administrative Assistant.  Jennifer is quite pleased to be part of the Chamber where she can use her organizational and professional skills developed while she was employed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for the past 35 years.  Jennifer is well known by many in this area. She is a long-time resident of Troy and is very passionate about the city and the surrounding region.

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