University at Buffalo School of Management

E very day, Kendra Brim, MBA '19, leverages the skills she learned in the School of Management. Yet it was years earlier, living with the indig- enous people of Western Australia, that she found her life's purpose — a steadfast dedication to understanding communities and help- ing marginalized groups thrive. Her visit was part of a program in which she traveled to Perth, Australia, to learn how commu- nities worked in another area of the world aer earning her bachelor's from Colgate University in 2011. Brim will be the first to admit that she didn't know where her path would lead. She reflects on her early career in her contribu- tion to The Six Figure Athlete: Convert Your Skills Into Cash, a book she published with other athletes in 2022. From her perspec- tive as a former Division I athlete, she wrote, "When a team sends the ball out of bounds during a basketball game, they lose posses- sion. In the game of life, I was determined to never lose possession." That determination carried Brim into the next act of her professional journey. Upon returning to Buffalo she joined the AmeriCorps VISTA program, where members make a full-time, one-year commitment to alleviate poverty in a particular community. There, Brim worked with the nonprofit Hearts & Hands as a community outreach coordinator. Following AmeriCorps, Brim joined BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, where she quickly moved up to lead teams as project manager, while also helping to found the Onyx Group, an employee resource group for Black employees. In her two subsequent positions, Brim led diversity and inclusion efforts for both her alma mater, Nardin Academy, and at Tesla. Today, Brim runs a consulting business, K. Savannah Consulting, where she provides tailored support to busi- nesses, specializing in diversity, equity and inclusion prac- tices and community strategy. She also recently launched Out of Bounds, a venture aimed at guiding student athletes into the real world — encouraging them to step out of bounds and become high performers. Brim also serves on the boards of Buffalo Urban League, PGA REACH Western New York Foundation, Say Yes Buffalo, United Way of Buffalo and Erie County and Nardin Academy. In addition, she serves as execu- tive vice president for the National Urban League Young Professionals, an empowerment forum for individuals between the ages of 21 to 40, and has been an active part of the organization since 2015. Brim's passions extend to theatre, international travel, education and her family. And, as her mother and brother are both UB alumni, the UB School of Management was a natural choice for her graduate studies. "Whether in your professional life or in the commu- nity, when you work with key stakeholders, you need to hear everyone. You need diverse perspectives and a range of people from different industries," she says. "That was a rewarding takeaway from my time in the MBA program." Brim advises current students to think about what they can use from their courses that will benefit them for a job that might not necessarily exist yet — to think big and beyond the current moment. "Everyone has a purpose, and I feel like I'm fulfilling mine," she says. "Buffalo is experiencing this resurgence, but it is not open to everyone. I want everyone to have equita- ble access to everything Buffalo has to offer. It's going to take time and energy, but collectively we can do it." — Alexandra Richter Autumn 2024 Buffalo Business 7 ALUMNI CLOSE-UP: KENDRA BRIM, MBA '19 When you work with key stakeholders, you need to hear everyone. You need diverse perspectives and a range of people from different industries. A JOURNEY OF PURPOSE AND INCLUSION ""

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