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Former county manager to lead economic think tankl

POUGHKEEPSIE -- One of the leading lights of Sullivan County will now turn his focus to the whole Hudson Valley.

Jonathan Drapkin, former Sullivan County manager and executive director of the Gerry Foundation, was named president and CEO of Mid-Hudson Pattern for Progress yesterday.

Describing the job as "part academic, part cheerleader, part advocate and part mediator," Drapkin said he's looking forward to the challenge of running the 41-year-old think tank, which studies economics and planning from Westchester to Columbia County.

Drapkin has taken on big challenges before. From 1996 through 2000, he served as Sullivan County manager, overseeing 1,400 employees and a $136 million budget. For the last six years, he's been executive director of the Gerry Foundation as it built the $75 million Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center.

Those experiences, plus his understanding of the balance between growth and preservation, made him an ideal choice for Pattern, said board chairman Carl Meyer.

"He has a proven track record of success within the region," Meyer said.

"He's an individual with an excellent perspective on the Hudson Valley."

Drapkin said he discovered the importance of regionalism growing up in Bayside, Queens. He was proud to be from his neighborhood, but enjoyed exploring all of New York City. He had the same experience here when he moved to Rock Hill.

"Most people have never heard of Rock Hill, but I'm proud to live there," he said. "Yet how much more interesting did the world become when I discovered the whole Hudson Valley?"

He'll start at Pattern Dec. 18 and plans to spend his first few months traveling its nine-county region, talking with all sorts of people.

At the same time, Pattern will be wrapping up its strategic plan for the future. So by early next year, the group will be able to lay out its agenda, Meyer said.

The Gerry Foundation did not return a call seeking comment on how they'll replace Drapkin. An interesting side note, Drapkin's predecessor at Pattern, Mike DiTullo, also moved there from Gerry.