POTSDAM -- The Potsdam College Foundation Board of Trustees elected three new members at its fall meeting.

Emily Lauzon and Wayne Zanetti will serve as trustees, while Tesfa Alexander was named as the board's first-ever associate trustee. All three are SUNY Potsdam graduates.

Alexander is currently the director of research and evaluation in the Office of Health Communication and Education at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Tobacco Products. He earned his doctorate in cross-cultural health communication at the University of Memphis, after completing his master of arts in organizational communication at Emerson College, and his bachelor of arts degree in English writing and speech communication at SUNY Potsdam. At the FDA, Alexander leads the development and implementation of research activities that inform the creation of tobacco education campaigns, such as "The Real Cost" and other health communication initiatives.

Lauzon is the assistant general manager of the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort. After earning a bachelor's degree in industrial labor relations, with a minor in business economics from SUNY Potsdam, Lauzon started her career in gambling as the casino's associate relations manager in 1999. In 2003, Lauzon left the gambling industry to serve a three-year term as a tribal sub-chief for the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe. Afterward, she returned to the casino, becoming the director of education and recruitment in 2006. In 2012, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council picked Lauzon sd the general manager of the Mohawk Bingo Palace. With the merger of the Mohawk Bingo Palace and the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino, Lauzon became the assistant general manager of both facilities.

Zanetti is the president and chief executive officer of Jeff Bank, an independent community bank with 12 locations in the Catskills. During his time at SUNY Potsdam, Zanetti was a member of the Psi Phi Delta fraternity and a member of the Bears cross-country team. He received his bachelor's degree in computer science in 1972. Zanetti went on to graduate with distinction from both the Graduate School of Operations and Technology at Vanderbilt University, and the Graduate School of Retail Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After serving in the U.S. Army Reserves, Zanetti got his start in the banking world, starting as a teller in Ellenville, N.Y. His hard work and knack for finances led him up the ladder, to accounts and then to treasurer. Then, he was named operations officer, where he oversaw a number of mergers. In 1999, he accepted a position at Jeff Bank as the vice president of operations. A year later, he was named the chief operating officer. Zanetti held that position until 2009, when he was promoted to become the president and CEO. He plans to retire from Jeff Bank at the end of 2015.