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.

Judy is a valuable member of the Chamber team, assisting in all day-to-day executive duties, including scheduling, correspondence, in-house projects and board-related responsibilities. Judy’s organizational skills were honed during her years as a legal secretary providing administrative assistance to multiple attorneys, coordinating electronically-filed court documents, updating voluminous client files and maintaining attorney calendars and docketed deadlines. She has more than 10 years working in the legal field. Her professional and friendly manner make her a welcome presence to Chamber members and to staff.

Stephanie Fitch is the Controller for the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce, a position she has held since November 2000. She is responsible for management of all internal financial operations of the Chamber including supervision of cash flow, audit of health insurance transactions, oversight of investments and preparation of the budget. Stephanie holds a B.S. in Finance from Siena College. Connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn!