University at Buffalo School of Management

Sean Butler, BS '16, was one of more than a dozen alumni who work at Solidifi who attended the event. He cast his vote for the cybersecurity initiative. "Particularly with everything going on in the world right now, cybersecurity is somewhere we, as a country, may be lagging behind," says Butler, junior regional man- ager at Solidifi. "If I'm able to invest in the nation's cyber- security defense capabilities, on top of promoting UB, I'm happy to do so." Meanwhile, Terri Zelasko, MBA '12, considered each pitch carefully. As an inaugural LeaderCORE graduate, she said the program made a huge difference in her career. In her last role, at Westminster Economic Development Initiative (WEDI), she saw how her business skills could help advance the nonprofit's mission and empower a com- munity — a key takeaway for the Social Impact Fellows. And now, having moved into banking, she's acutely aware of the profound need to safeguard consumer data with ef- fective cybersecurity measures. "The competition was a neat, interactive way to keep us connected with what's going on and what's new at the School of Management," says Zelasko, treasury strategic projects analyst at M&T Bank. "It's a fun way to give back." In the end, the Social Impact Fellows program won in a close vote — to an uproar of cheers throughout the room. The School of Management Alumni Association generously sponsored the "100 Alumni Who Care" event, ensuring the entire $10,000 will go toward stipends for the summer 2018 cohort of Social Impact Fellows. For Zelasko, the event was another way to stay con- nected to a community that's made a considerable impact on her, both personally and professionally. "When I made my career change, I felt the UB com- munity with me every step of the way," she says. "At M&T, I found so many alumni there I connected with and felt like I had such an edge because of my UB connections." x Spring 2018 Buffalo Business 25 " A big part of my job is ensuring people on different teams work well together, and I couldn't have done it without LeaderCORE." Sneha Gupta, MBa '15 Assistant Brand Manager Mentholatum Co. " If I'm able to invest in the nation's cybersecurity defense capabilities, on top of promoting UB, I'm happy to do so." Sean Butler, BS '16 Junior Regional Manager Solidifi " When I made my career change, I felt the UB community with me every step of the way." Terri Zelasko, MBa '12 Treasury Strategic Projects Analyst M&T Bank Below: kristich and ketter-Franklin celebrate winning the $10,000 for the Social Impact Fellows program.

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