Joe Dalton
Community Leader, Visionary
Joe Dalton was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1942. He graduated from Siena College with a degree in English before joining the United States Marine Corps. First stationed at Camp Pendleton, South Carolina, he served in Vietnam in 1966.
In 1970, he arrived in Saratoga Springs to assume the position of Executive Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce. At the time, Saratoga Springs was a depressed community at the end of a long period of decline. Joe, as a leader and proponent of civic responsibility, was one of three founders of the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation, which has brought thousands of new, good-paying jobs to Saratoga County. He was one of the two founders of the Saratoga Springs Plan of Action, which revitalized the downtown. His skills were also integral to the initial construction of the City Center in 1984 and its expansion in 2010.
Joe’s leadership was crucial in placing thousands of individuals in training and full-time unsubsidized employment. He organized the effort to protect the quality of thoroughbred racing for which Saratoga is famous.
He has been a member of the Board of Directors of many Saratoga County nonprofit organizations, and has led or been a part of numerous fundraising efforts. Joe retired in 2010 from a Chamber that has grown to embrace the county, with a staff of 13 and a membership of more than 2,800 businesses.