10 Buffalo Business Spring 2021
vaccine distribution ramps up, these alumni and School
of Management faculty see a slow return to normal on the
horizon—perhaps with some long-term alterations.
Into the unknown
In early 2020, Joanne Rinaldo, BS '95, was a senior
manager at United Airlines working in digital infrastruc-
ture, supporting technology at airports and the tech used
by pilots and flight attendants. When COVID-19 hit, her job
rapidly shied from improving customer experience and
the airline's efficiency to getting large groups of employees
set up to work remotely.
"We went from 'what cool stuff do we want to do' to
'what do we need to do,'" says Rinaldo. "We changed focus to
new projects, such as developing soware to allow custom-
ers to complete touchless check-in at airport kiosks, and
enabling call center staff to field calls from home as thou-
sands of customers canceled their flights."
Meanwhile, Anthony Falvo, BS '17, MBA '18, was
working as senior analyst for international network and
alliances at United.
He's part of the team that decides the size of the plane
needed for each route and how oen it flies. Typically, he's
working on routes and schedules six months to two years
in advance. Aer COVID, that timeline shrank to four to
eight weeks.
Piccolo
Rinaldo
