Mike Oates is the President and CEO of Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation (HVEDC), which recently announced plans to merge the Westchester County Association. HVEDC is the leading economic development agency for the seven-county region.

Prior to joining HVEDC, Oates was the Managing Partner for Bellefield Development Partners LLC, the developer of Bellefield at Historic Hyde Park in Dutchess County and an affiliate of T-Rex Capital Group, LLC. Bellefield is a $500 million culinary campus located directly across the street from The Culinary Institute of America.

Before joining Bellefield, Oates was the former CEO of Hudson River Ventures, a small business investment fund focused on Food & Beverage, Tourism, Hospitality, 3D Printing and Innovative Technology with investment projects located in the Hudson Valley.

Oates also served as President and CEO of HVEDC from 2009 to 2013. Before his initial work with HVEDC, he was Vice President/Regional Director at Empire State Development Corporation. In that position, he was responsible for managing New York State’s economic development initiatives in Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess, Sullivan, Ulster and Putnam counties – the same counties represented by HVEDC.

An active member of the community, Oates serves on the board of the Walkway Over the Hudson (Chairman), Scenic Hudson, Council of Industry, Abilities First, Pattern for Progress and Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce.