Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce and Monroe County celebrate 34 young professionals completing the 2025-2026 RETAIN program and building their futures in the region

Rochester, New York – Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce and Monroe County celebrated the completion of the second RETAIN cohort on Wednesday, August 19, bringing together 34 early career professionals who have taken steps toward building their careers and lives in the Rochester region.

The 2025-2026 RETAIN cohort includes young professionals working across a wide range of industries and job functions. The program is designed to help recent graduates establish stronger connections to the community while encouraging them to remain in Monroe County as they begin their careers.

RETAIN offers participants more than a financial incentive. The program combines mentorship, networking, relationship-building opportunities and workshops focused on personal and professional development. The goal is to give early career workers both practical support and connections as they decide what comes next.

The second cohort represents a broad cross-section of the regional economy, with participants working in areas including health care, education, technology, construction, finance, nonprofit organizations, government, professional services and other fields.

The program gives particular attention to graduates who have found employment with for-profit businesses in Monroe County, including businesses in underserved areas and minority- and women-owned companies. Applicants are eligible if they graduated within one year from a college, university or trade school located in Greater Rochester.

For participants, the program is intended to help make the transition from school into the workforce easier while creating an early connection to the Rochester community.

The 34 graduates in the 2025-2026 cohort are Abhinandan Ambastha of Uncommon School; Raykhona Aminova of Javlyn; Sabrina Antonini of Five Star Bank; Jesika Barnes and Eliza Bennett of the University of Rochester; Grace Boesel of Wilmac Technologies; Cadence Brunecz of L3Harris; Jack Christie of Rozzi Architects; Finn Cohen of RIT National Technical Institute of the Deaf; Jeremiah Cortes of LeChase Construction; Katie Deatherage, Abby Garvey, Breena Keefe, Bianca Santonastaso, Emily Schillinger and Cristopher Soto of University of Rochester Medicine; Adrian Deslongchamps of Alpine Software Corp.; Tresa Elias of the University of Rochester; Autumn Garvey of Visit Rochester; Zac Grant of Mary Cariola Center; Rhea Koli of Uncommon Schools; Henry Litsky of Reconnect Rochester; Zackary Lovejoy of University of Rochester Medicine; Peyton Lucas of Lollypop Farm; Maggie MacAdam of Piede Law LLP; Ayanna Oden of Progressive Machine and Design; Jordan Scheidt and Kyle Skovira of Monroe One BOCES; Janelle Snow of RochesterWorks; Jessica Spahn of QuickFi; Emani Sweeney of Rochester Regional Health; Gregory Vogel of NFP, an Aon company; Aaron Weiner of the City of Rochester; and Hayley Wnuk of SUNY Brockport.

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The range of employers represented in the cohort highlights the variety of career paths available in the Rochester area. It also reflects the program’s broader effort to connect recent graduates with employers and opportunities close to home.

“Congratulations to our 34 program graduates! Rochester & Monroe County are at a pivotal moment right now. Ensuring that our next generation of leaders are connected, empowered, and committed to our region is critical to our long-term success. Through our RETAIN program, we are building just that,” said Greater Rochester Chamber President & CEO Bob Duffy. “Thank you to Monroe County Adam Bello and his team at COMIDA & MCIDC for their partnership to make this possible. We look forward to future collaboration to build a better future together.”

The partnership between the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce and Monroe County is centered on a challenge faced by many communities — keeping young, educated workers in the region after they complete their studies.

For Monroe County officials, the financial component of RETAIN is an important part of that effort. By providing a stipend to eligible recent graduates who choose to live and work locally, the program offers an added reason for young professionals to consider putting down roots in the area.

“As we celebrate our second cohort of RETAIN graduates, I am continually inspired by these talented young professionals who have chosen to build their futures right here in Monroe County. By offering a stipend to recent college and trade school graduates who choose to live and work locally, the RETAIN program has created a vital recruitment tool that strengthens our workforce and economy,” said Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. “We are grateful to Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce for their exceptional partnership in running this program, as well as our participating businesses. Congratulations to all 34 graduates. You are the future leaders and innovators of our community, and we cannot wait to see all that you accomplish.”

The RETAIN program is part of a larger effort by Greater Rochester Chamber to engage young professionals and strengthen the region’s workforce. The organization says keeping early career workers connected to the community is important to the area’s long-term growth.

Along with RETAIN, the Greater Rochester Chamber offers other programs aimed at supporting young professionals. Its Greater ROC Young Professionals, or GRYP, program provides additional opportunities for young people to connect, develop leadership skills and build professional relationships.

The Chamber also works through its Career Services Collaborative, known as CSC, to support career development and advancement. One of the broader goals of these efforts is to improve retention among graduates of the region’s 18 colleges and universities.

The strategy reflects an effort to build connections before young professionals have to make major decisions about where they will live and work. By introducing graduates to local employers, mentors and other professionals, organizations involved in the programs hope to make the Rochester region a stronger long-term career destination.

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RETAIN is operated under the leadership of Greater Rochester Chamber Talent Strategy Manager Andrea Tuttle. The program is supported by Monroe County, COMIDA, MCIDC and the Greater Rochester Chamber Foundation.

The completion of the second cohort marks another step in the partnership’s effort to retain emerging talent in the Rochester area. With 34 professionals completing the program this year, RETAIN is continuing to connect recent graduates with local employers while giving them financial and professional support as they begin the next stage of their careers.

For Greater Rochester and Monroe County, the effort goes beyond helping individual graduates. The program is also part of a wider strategy to strengthen the local workforce, support employers and encourage a new generation of professionals to make the region their home.

Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce describes itself as a one-stop resource for business support, advocacy, compliance, talent and community connection. The organization works with businesses and community partners to support economic opportunity and growth throughout the region.

The latest RETAIN graduates now join the growing network of young professionals who are being encouraged to stay, work and build their futures in Greater Rochester. For local officials and business leaders, that connection could play an important role in the region’s workforce and economic development in the years ahead.