Meet the Academy Staff
What Drives Us

Strengthening Communities

The Department of Commerce is the one agency in state government that touches every aspect of community and economic development: planning, infrastructure, energy, public facilities, housing, public safety and crime victims, international trade, business services and more. We work with local governments, tribes, businesses and civic leaders throughout the state to strengthen communities so all residents may thrive and prosper.

RESTART Academy

Our Staff

Our tireless staff has nearly a century of experience in economic development, running small businesses, and yes, even starting over from scratch. Their expertise has been invaluable in creating the Restart Academy.

Robb Zerr

Hall Monitor

Robb is the creative force behind the Restart Academy and author of Lessons 1 – 12 Before joining the state in 2012 to direct the state’s marketing, outreach and small business programs, Robb was the founder and Mister Know-It-All for CommuniCreations, Inc. and Storylaureate.com. He is a third-generation entrepreneur and small business consultant for 20 years. Robb is a tortured novelist, recently publishing “Brewster McCabe: Ace Private Eye, a professional entertainer and wishful world traveler, deciding at one time to visit an entire alphabet of islands (having made it to A, B, C, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, V and W so far). He actually attended class a time or two at the University of Washington, earning his B.A. in Journalism.

Alex Harper

Instructional Designer

Alex directs all the digital communications for the Choose Washington brand, including serving as webmaster for several Commerce websites. Before joining our team, Alex served as Advertising Creative Manager for McClatchy Company, overseeing creative and branding standards, managing the creative team and working with internal and external clients on an array of award-winning projects. He has extensive experience managing complex campaigns as well as maximizing the effectiveness of digital assets, including website design, construction and management, information design and analytics. Alex is also a whiz in the graphics department, serving as the go-to guy for ongoing design projects related to the brand. In his spare time, he likes to have his four dogs take him for a walk and engage in amazing creative pursuits that dazzle and mystify his coworkers.

Andrea Rohr

Manager, Audiovisual Department

As Design & Production Manager for the team, Andrea helps create effective digital and print media to further the presence of the clients of the Choose Washington brand. Andrea first got a taste for graphic design when she entered a contest in high school to design the official Carnation, Washington Fourth of July T-shirt and was selected as one of the winners. She went on to graduate from the University of Washington with a BA in sociology. With her passion for design still present, she earned two continuing education certifications, one in web design and the other in interaction design. She loves to blend her sociological knowledge of human behavior with her design experience to help brand local companies in creating a unique voice that speaks to their clientele. Andrea is an avid baker and can often be seen running around Lake Union.

Lynn Longan
Faculty Advisor

Born and raised in rural Washington State, Lynn’s introduction to economic development was in family-owned and operated businesses such as logging, road construction, tree farming and shellfish farming. Lynn brings 20 years of economic development experience to our team. After working for the Department of Commerce in the Economic Development Division for 16 years, she accepted the role of Executive Director of the Economic Development Council in Mason County. Returning to Commerce, Lynn serves as the agency expert responsible for setting the agenda for the state’s economic development strategies for rural and underserved communities. She is responsible for developing and overseeing entrepreneurship programs such as ScaleUp, Thrive!, Global Entrepreneurship Month and other technical assistance, education and training programs and services for entrepreneurs and small businesses, particularly those in rural and underserved communities

Restart Academy

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Academy Staff