Business for Good Foundation Appoints Workforce Champion Crickett Thomas-O’Dell to Board of Directors and Announces Workforce Innovation Task Force
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — The Business for Good Foundation (BFGF) is proud to announce the appointment of celebrated workforce development leader and community advocate Crickett Thomas-O’Dell to its Board of Directors.
In addition to her governance role on the board, Thomas-O’Dell will serve as a leading voice on BFGF’s newly formed Workforce Innovation Task Force, advancing regional initiatives designed to create sustainable career pathways, sustaining wages, and economic mobility across the Capital Region.
“Crickett’s visionary leadership and tireless advocacy for workers across New York make her an invaluable addition to our board and our workforce advisory initiatives,” said Maire Masterson, Executive Director at BFGF. “Her deep expertise in building inclusive apprenticeship pipelines will be vital as we accelerate economic opportunity throughout our communities.”
BFGF’s Workforce Innovation Task Force will be led by Steve Obermayer, Principal and Chief Financial Officer at BBL Construction Services.
“Crickett is a transformative force in workforce innovation, and having her voice at the table elevates everything the Capital Region is working to accomplish,” Obermayer said. “Her understanding of what it takes to build accessible career pathways makes her an extraordinary addition to both BFGF’s board and our Workforce Innovation Task Force. We look forward to working with her to drive meaningful workforce solutions for the Capital Region for generations to come.”
“True community resilience starts with access to meaningful careers and intentional pathways to the middle class,” said Thomas-O’Dell. “I am thrilled to join the Business for Good Foundation Board of Directors and to help guide the Workforce Innovation Task Force. BFGF’s commitment to systemic change aligns deeply with my passion for opening doors for underrepresented individuals across our region.”
About Crickett Thomas-O’Dell
Crickett Thomas-O’Dell serves as Director of the Statewide Pre-Apprentice Program and Community Engagement for the Workforce Development Institute (WDI) and its partner, the New York State Building & Construction Trades Council. In this dual role, she directs efforts to connect women, people of color, veterans, and justice-involved individuals with unionized construction careers. Thomas-O’Dell joined WDI in 2019 as Regional Director for the Capital Region following senior operational leadership roles in transportation, telecommunications, and secondary/higher education administration.
An Albany High School graduate, Thomas-O’Dell earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Russell Sage College and Sage Graduate School. Her extensive civic and professional service includes board seats with the NYS Economic Development Council, the Upstate NY Black Chamber of Commerce, the Center for Economic Growth Leadership, Capital Area Urban League, NAACP, the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce, and the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region.
Among numerous honors, she was named an Albany Business Review Woman Who Means Business, a New York State Assembly Woman of Distinction, Russell Sage College 2025 Alumna of Distinction, and received the 2026 Third Age Achievement Award for community service. A Saratoga County resident, Thomas-O’Dell is an active member of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Albany, a competitive martial artist holding a 5th-degree black belt in Karate and a 1st-degree black belt in Judo, and a 2024 inductee into the NYS Basketball Hall of Fame recognizing over 25 years as a basketball official.
About Business for Good Foundation
The Business for Good Foundation [BFGF] was founded to give individuals and communities the opportunity to thrive, creating a stronger ecosystem that generates opportunity for all. Located in New York’s Capital Region, BFGF is focused on critical issues of local and national importance, including workforce innovation and housing attainability. Learn more at www.bfg.org.
