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 William Kelly
LB 2005
Vice President & Portfolio Manager
Harold C. Brown & Co.
“I did not grow up in Western New York so I feel that the Class Experience program was particularly beneficial to me in terms of accelerating my community awareness on various issues and helping me develop my network. I looked forward to every class day and was never disappointed.”
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 Francisco M. Vasquez
LB 2004
Executive Vice President
People, Inc.
“Leadership Buffalo really laid the foundation for what I would call my local citizenship. I knew where buildings were in Buffalo and I knew where neighborhoods were, but through Leadership Buffalo I really learned to engage my community in a way that I hadn’t before. Before LB, I was involved, but never really engaged. LB helped me become deeply involved and gave me some leadership roles that I never had before.”
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 OJ (Oluwole) McFoy
Rising Leaders 2004
Secretary to the General Manager, COO (Chief Operations Officer)
The Buffalo Sewer Authority
“The Rising Leaders program was perfect for me because, at the time, everyone in my class was at the same stage in their careers- we were all just on the cusp of applying the techniques that LB supplied us with. I went through the class and not only learned about Buffalo and Western New York as a whole, but also participated in formalized learning. Rising Leaders really helped lead us through the maze of management.”
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Muriel Howard
LB 1988
President
Buffalo State College
“Leadership Buffalo gives you an opportunity to meet leaders in the region and really begin to develop a relationship with them. LB gives you that connection by giving you the opportunity to interface with those leaders, and because of this they become more accessible when you go on to engage them as a professional. Because of LB you gain access to resources that you wouldn’t otherwise have had that opportunity experience. That is very special.”
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 Arlene Kaukus
LB 1990
President
United Way of Buffalo & Erie County
“Leadership Buffalo gave me an appreciation for the fact that we are a community that faces challenges, and that the solutions are not simple or easy. These problems require people from all walks and sectors of life to work together in order to address the issues facing us. LB represents an incredible collective power and there is nothing that we couldn’t change if we put our hearts and minds to it because there are hundreds of Leadership Buffalo graduates with great spheres of influence.”
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 Robert Brunschmid
Rising Leaders 2005
Managing Director
Theatre of Youth Company, Inc.
“The Rising Leaders program caters to the younger crowd and puts you in contact with others your own age at a similar point in their life. You really get business contacts that you can relate to and connect with because of this common ground. I’d recommend Rising Leaders to others because we all have a responsibility to know how our community operates and how everything and everyone in it is ultimately connected. If you’re going to help be an agent of change you must to be willing to develop your knowledge and your skills. If you know more about your community, then you know how to fulfill the needs of that community. Leadership Buffalo empowers you with the knowledge you need in order to allow you to make this change.”
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 Randy Strauss
LB 2005
Managing Partner
StraussGroup, Inc., & SourceOne Professionals
“I would recommend Leadership Buffalo to others because, in the future, it truly helps you in every aspect of your life. Leadership Buffalo gives you the skills and tools that you need to become a better-rounded individual and allows you to utilize resources in order to give back to the community. The program was a great experience that will last forever; you really feel like you’re a part of Buffalo when you’re done with it. Before this experience, I didn’t know enough about Buffalo and felt like I couldn’t talk intelligently about the city. Now I can, and Leadership Buffalo is the reason why.”
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 Clotilde Dedecker
LB 1993
President and CEO
Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo
“Typically each of us goes through each and every day by interfacing with people at our place of employment, at our children’s school, at our place of worship. Leadership Buffalo brings you into close and meaningful contact with a very broad cross section of our community. It really expands your understanding and broadens your horizon of what this community is all about.”
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 Terry (Theresa) Kazmierczak
LB 1992
Vice President, Corporate and Community Events
M&T Bank
“I had been in the business world several years and I thought I had a handle of what was going on in Buffalo before I became involved with Leadership Buffalo. Once I became involved in the program I was thoroughly enlightened. In a particular class you have accountants, artists, politicians - and you are really given the chance and encouraged to come together and learn at the same level. I think professionally, the experience has been the best experience, personally and professionally, that I have had to date, and it only continues. I graduated from Leadership Buffalo 15 years ago and I am still extremely involved to this very day.”
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 Gretchen Fierle
LB 2002
Vice President, Community Relations & Communications
Independent Health
“Although I was born and raised in Buffalo and exposed to many parts of the region, Leadership Buffalo allowed me to experience the community in ways that I've never before experienced or imagined. It provided access to significant leaders and issues that you normally would never have. Because of Leadership Buffalo, I'm able to be part of a very extensive network of other leaders who give me access to their time and knowledge so I may gain a better perspective and become a more effective leader. The return on my investment in Leadership Buffalo has been a thousand-fold and it really helped me get to where I am today in a very short period of time.”
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 Jennifer Parker
LB 2003
CEO
Black Capital Network LLC
“I related the Leadership Buffalo Class days to attending college all over again. Every class day was a valuable learning experience. I am not only referring to the planned day session speakers that we had, but most importantly my classmates. There were so many diverse professionals. I would leave each class day exhausted because of knowledge overload! I am stimulated by interesting people and connecting with others who have a plan and want to use their intellect and talent to make a difference. For me the process continues. It did not end with the Class Experience graduation. The friendships and business relationships that were formed still are growing today.”
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 Joseph Abdallah
LB 2002
Chief Development Officer
Greater Niagara Frontier Council Boy Scouts of America
Leadership Buffalo was very educational, and I feel that I have a lasting network of friends, business colleagues and collaborators that is going to pay a lot of dividends both in my professional and personal life. One of the best things about my Leadership Buffalo experience is the fact that we brought together a very diverse group of people, and not just diverse in regards to race, income, or socioeconomic status, but also in perspective. I think we became a very cohesive group and we learned vigorously from what we brought to the table. The friendships that I have made in this class are going to last my lifetime, and that is an irreplaceable commodity. I think anyone who wants to experience new friendships with people and a community should partake in this experience.”
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