Ana J. Liss, Executive Director

Ana J. Liss is the Director of Planning and Development for Monroe County, New York, under the leadership of Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. Also in this role, Ana serves as Executive Director of both the Monroe County Industrial Development Corporation (MCIDC) and the County of Monroe Industrial Development Agency (COMIDA). At the direction of their respective volunteer Boards of Directors, COMIDA and MCIDC administer tax incentives and exemptions as well as loans, workforce training initiatives, and rebates to support business and job growth in Monroe County. The Department of Planning and Development also houses the Monroe County Finger Lakes APEX Accelerator, working with entrepreneurs throughout Greater Rochester to help them identify, compete for, and win government contracts.

Previously, Ana was Managing Director of Business Development for Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE), a non-profit economic development organization serving the 9-county Rochester-Finger Lakes region. She also was an Empire State Fellow and Policy Advisor in New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration and a Manager of Corporate Relations for the Cornell University S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management. Early on in her career, Ana was an on-air journalist and producer for WETM 18 News and 13 WHAM News in the Elmira-Corning region and in Rochester. Ana holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania, a B.A. in Journalism from Ithaca College, and a Certificate in Innovation Management and Technology Transfer from SUNY Empire State College. In 2017, Ana was recognized by Development Counsellors International as a “Rising Economic Development Star,” and as a member of their 40 Under 40 cohort that year.