Current SUNY Erie Vice President for Administration to become Poloncarz’ Third Chief of Staff
ERIE COUNTY, NY— Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz today named James Blackwell as his next Chief of Staff, a position that Blackwell will assume on January 1. Currently serving as SUNY Erie’s Vice President for Administration as well as SUNY Erie’s Governmental Liaison with local, state, and federal agencies, Blackwell previously served as Director of the Erie County Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and before that as Special Assistant to the County Executive. He holds two degrees from Ball State University, a Master’s in Business Administration earned in 2020 and a Bachelor of Science (Human Resource Management) degree earned in 2018.
“I am pleased to have James rejoin my administration and I look forward to him taking the role of Chief of Staff, where he will be the administration’s point person for all major projects and responsibilities moving forward,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “I also want to thank my former Chief of Staff, Benjamin Swanekamp, as he moves on to a new post with the City of Buffalo.”
In his roles at SUNY Erie, Blackwell was responsible for the development and implementation of SUNY Erie’s strategic plan with a primary focus on the long-term fiscal sustainability of the college; he also served as Interim Executive Vice President of Student Affairs and Interim Chief of Campus Security. As Director of Equal Employment Opportunity for Erie County from 2020-24, Blackwell led the county in conducting its first ever Disparity Study to ensure that the Minority/Women Business Enterprise (“MWBE”) program is compliant with federal standards.
Incoming Chief of Staff James Blackwell said, “I am honored and excited to return to county government in the capacity of Chief of Staff and I look forward to working with our dedicated employees and community partners to make a meaningful, positive impact throughout the county.”
# # #
