Wallace (Wally) Altes
Wally Altes served as President of the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce (now the Capital Chamber) from 1990 to 2002. During that time the Chamber grew to be the third-largest in New York State with some 3000 members. During this time the Chamber received several state and national awards for its innovative programming and administrative excellence and led the effort to brand the area as Tech Valley.
Wally retired from the Chamber in 2002. He re-established his consulting practice which he had closed upon assuming the Chamber Presidency. He served as Executive in Residence at Union Graduate College and the Lally School of Management at RPI and as Senior Counsel at Sawchuk, Brown Public Relations, and Gramercy Communications. He joined the Boards of Berkshire Bank and MVP, and later became Chair of Boards of the Albany Institute of History and Art and Southern Vermont College.
In 2010 Wally was asked to Chair the Troy Downtown Collaborative, the forerunner to the Downtown Business Improvement District. Subsequently, he was appointed by Mayor Lou Rosamilia to the Chairmanship of the Troy Industrial Development Agency and Local Development Corporation. He also served as the Chair of the Troy Music Hall Corporation.
Wally has received a number of awards from organizations such as the University at Albany SUNY, Excelsior College, Sage College, and the United Jewish Federation. Wally and his wife, Jane, have been honored by the Arthritis Foundation, the Arts Center of the Capital Region and the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. Wally is particularly pleased to receive this award from Lifepath, as Jane received this honor several years ago.