University at Buffalo School of Management

24 Buffalo Business Spring 2018 alumni Impact On a chilly December evening in Buffalo, 100 School of Management alumni gathered at the Foundry Suites to reconnect, network — and make a powerful impact on their alma mater by raising $10,000 in one night. Before arriving, the alumni voted for their favor- ite from a list of 15 ongoing School of Management pro- grams. At the event, representatives for the top three — LeaderCORE™, cybersecurity competitions and the Social Impact Fellows program — were pitching live, and the initiative that earned the most votes would collect all of the money to support operations or move it to the next level. First, Chris Maugans, BS '10, JD/MBA '14, stepped up to the mic and made a passionate case for LeaderCORE, a personal and professional development program for full-time MBAs that focuses on the core competencies the business community has identified for effective perfor- mance and successful leadership in business. Aaron Fiebelkorn, BS '15, MBA '17, spoke on the importance of cybersecurity and the skills he gained through UB's student-driven cybersecurity initiative and competition — which landed him a position at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Finally, second-year MBA student Cheyenne Ketter- Franklin, BS '17, teamed up with Colleen Kristich, a Master of Social Work student, to share how the Social Impact Fellows program affected them and the local com- munity. They were inaugural participants in the fel- lowship, which pairs an MBA and MSW student for an eight-week internship at a mission-driven organization. "The program completely reframed what I can do with my degrees," Ketter-Franklin told the alumni assem- bled. "I realized my passion and drive for social innova- tion, and I want to use my marketing and business skills with an organization that has a social mission to make a tangible change in Western New York." The alumni in the audience weighed what they'd heard and cast their votes. Sneha Gupta, MBA '15, assistant brand manager at the Mentholatum Co., had registered for the event as soon as she saw LeaderCORE on the ballot. "In LeaderCORE, you focus on so skills and learn how you think through problems," she says. "A big part of my job is ensuring people on different teams work well together, and I couldn't have done it without LeaderCORE. Every day, it contributes a little bit more." One night, 100 alumni — big impact School of Management alumni raise $10,000 for an initiative of their choice BY M AT T H E W B I D D l E Below: This winter, 100 alumni, including many recent gradu- ates, came together to make an impact on the school. Photos: Tom Wolf

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