(From syracuse.com)
Robert E. Herz, 74, of LaFayette, died May 28.
He was born in Syracuse and was a 1966 graduate of Christian Brothers Academy.
In 1971, he graduated from Hobart & William Smith Colleges with a bachelor’s degree in English. He received his master’s in fine arts – poetry from University of Iowa’s Writer’s Workshop.
Herz embarked on a career as editor of the Central New York Business Journal. He later worked for a short time as editor-in-chief of the Syracuse New Times.
He went to work as a legislative aide to state Sen. Tarky Lombardi Jr., where he spent 17 years developing legislation, policy and programs. While working for the senator, he met Sally Berry, who was the executive director of Vera House at the time. Their meeting eventually led to them lobbying for the passing of the state Domestic Violence Act in 1987.
Herz and Berry married in 1996.
When Lombardi left the Senate, Herz went to work as a legislative aide for state Sen. Roy Goodman. He stayed in Albany for another 10 years.
When Herz left state government in 2002, he stayed busy as a business owner, consultant and published poet. He and his colleagues Steve Kuusisto and Andrea Scarpino published the Nine Mile Books and Literary Magazine.
From 2010 to 2012 he ran South Side Innovation Center, a business incubator that won the National Business Incubator Association Incubator of the Year Award in 2012.
From 2013 until 2017, he served as director of the NYS State Senate Select Committee on Science, Technology, Incubation & Entrepreneurship. He developed incubator, life sciences and digital game legislation and policy in New York and played key roles in developing elder and arts and cultural affairs laws in the state, according to his obituary.
He began operating his own business incubator, Insourcing, in 2012 and served as president until his death.
You can read Bob’s contributions to Hole In The Head Review here: https://www.holeintheheadreview.com/txtv1i4-1/bob-herz
and here: https://www.holeintheheadreview.com/post/robert-herz
Edge of Atlantic 