LEAD On! A Leadership Podcast by UB Student Engagement

Dive into the intricate world of national and international Greek councils, including the National Panhellenic Conference, the National Multicultural Greek Council, and many more. We discuss how these organizations provide oversight, unity, and representation for Greek chapters across the globe.

Being a part of Greek life doesn’t end after graduation. This episode highlights the continuing impact alumni have through graduate chapters and community involvement. We also spotlight notable fraternity and sorority members who have made their mark in various fields.

In this episode, we tackle common stereotypes about Greek life and uncover the real benefits of being part of these communities. From leadership development to lifelong connections, discover how fraternities and sororities shape students’ futures.

Explore the origins of Greek-letter societies and the traditions that have shaped them over centuries. Learn about the first fraternities and sororities, the significance behind chapter naming, and how governing councils keep the Greek system organized and thriving.

In this episode, we discuss Clifford Furnas.

Clifford C. Furnas, a distinguished engineer, scientist, and educator was Chancellor & President of UB from 1954 to 1962. As UB's leader, Furnas spearheaded a dynamic transformation, propelling the institution from its roots of a private medical school into the public university we recognize today. He oversaw the expansion of the university which included enrollment doubling, more faculty hired, better office and lab space, and increased research funds.

Interested in learning more? Check out the University Archives located in Capen Hall, Room 420. Feel free to visit their website to learn more: https://library.buffalo.edu/specialcollections/

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Muriel A. Howard.

Dr. Howard was born in Wilson, North Carolina, and received her Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Richmond College, the City University of New York. Dr. Howard then moved to Buffalo to pursue graduate school. She earned her master's of education and doctorate in educational organization, administration, and policy from the University at Buffalo. She made UB history by becoming the first woman and the first African American to be a vice president at UB, serving during the Greiner administration. And in 1996 she became President of Buffalo State University (formerly known as Buffalo State College). Her commitment to college access and fostering a culture of inclusivity has left an enduring legacy in the Buffalo region.

Interested in learning more? Check out the University Archives located in Capen Hall, Room 420. Feel free to visit their website to learn more: https://library.buffalo.edu/specialcollections/

In this episode, we learn more about Samuel P. Capen and we are joined by Bill Offhaus.

Samuel Capen served as Chancellor of the University at Buffalo from 1922 to 1950. Capen transformed the institution from a local college into a globally recognized research university. He championed academic freedom, diversity, and accessibility, establishing UB as a beacon of innovation and excellence. Under his guidance, UB experienced significant growth in enrollment, faculty, and academic programs, expanding its influence and impact.

We are joined by Bill Offhaus, a reference archivist with the Univeristy Archives, who shares Capen's story. The University Archives and the rest of UB's Special Collections are housed (quite fittingly) in Capen Hall, Room 420. Feel free to visit their website to learn more: https://library.buffalo.edu/specialcollections/

“The excitement of being alive is to, over time, discover things that you’re passionate about.”

For the last episode of the semester, Chelsea Montrois, Product Designer at Anthology, talks about her winding leadership and career journey, emphasizes the value of experimentation in college, and dispels the myth of urgency around finding your passion.

Which UB alum or local Buffalo leader do YOU want to hear on LEAD On! next? What leadership skills do you think are underrepresented? Let us know at leadub@buffalo.edu!

The researcher referenced in this episode was Katherine W. Phillips.

Her article, "How Diversity Makes Us Smarter": https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-diversity-makes-us-smarter/

"You have to be willing to say, everything I’ve done up until now is great, but I have to make a left turn."

This week on LEAD On!, Randall Reade, Co-Founder of angel investor group Washington DC Archangels, tells us what investors look for in a pitch, breaks down different leadership styles, and urges us to change our lives sooner than later.

Which UB alum or local Buffalo leader do YOU want to hear on LEAD On! next? What leadership skills do you think are underrepresented? Let us know at leadub@buffalo.edu!

"You develop so much as a person and your skills and the way you’re able to problem solve when you take on service leadership roles."

This week on LEAD On!, Jelani Freeman, an attorney, advocate, speaker, and world traveler, tells us about the importance of mentorship, community, leadership through service, and much more!

Which UB alum or local Buffalo leader do YOU want to hear on LEAD On! next? What leadership skills do you think are underrepresented? Let us know at leadub@buffalo.edu!

Resources from this episode:

Global Youth Service Day: April 26th – 28th  

• ysa.org  

• Build connection and community 

• Learn about other service opportunities the whole year 

"Just Say Yes."

This week on LEAD On!, get energized with Claire Stroh: UB alumna, President and CEO of her own business Claire is Coaching, and Director of Technology Talent Management at Lighthouse Technology services. Listen as she tells us how the SPCA can build leadership, the importance of transferable skills, and how her DISC leadership style can be a double-edged sword!

Which UB alum or local Buffalo leader do YOU want to hear on LEAD On! next? What leadership skills do you think are underrepresented? Let us know at leadub@buffalo.edu!

Resources from this episode:

Mental Health Webinar on 2/28/2023 @ 12pm - bit.ly/HRformentalhealth

Buffalo Niagara Human Resources Association - https://bnhra.org/

Claire is Coaching - https://claireiscoaching.com/

Empower Camp - https://empcamp.com/

"It's not a paycheck, it's an idea."

This week on LEAD On!, we hear the story of Dan Alterman, UB alumnus and civil rights lawyer whose work as the defendant attorney for the Prisoners at Attica has been turned into a Showtime documentary. Listen as Dan tells us about the importance of advocacy, taking chances, and his love of Bocce Club pizza.

Which UB alum or local Buffalo leader do YOU want to hear on LEAD On! next? What leadership skills do you think are underrepresented? Let us know at leadub@buffalo.edu!

To learn more about the Prisoners at Attica, visit https://www.atticaisallofus.org/

This week on LEAD On!, Sarah and Kelsey chat with Cherrelle Dorleans, UB alumna and Public Health Research and Evaluation Specialist. Listen to hear her experience with McNair and EOP, her time as a peer mentor, and her take on the importance of advocacy.

Which UB alum or local Buffalo leader do YOU want to hear on LEAD On! next? What leadership skills do you think are underrepresented? Let us know at leadub@buffalo.edu !

Hey Bulls, welcome back and it's good to be back! This week on LEAD On!, Sarah and Kelsey rally up with Alexis Curtiss, a UB alumna working with Edward Jones as a financial advisor and a fitness and softball aficionado. Hear her individualist approach to effective leadership, her emphasis on taking your goals seriously, and her take on the importance of connection.

Which UB alum or local Buffalo leader do YOU want to hear on LEAD On! next? What leadership skills do you think are underrepresented? Let us know at leadub@buffalo.edu !

"Embrace Challenge"

Today Sarah and Kelsey interview Barb Ricotta, Dean of Students at University at Buffalo. Listen to Barb's advice about failure in leadership and how to overcome challenges!

Want more? Reach out to leadub@buffalo.edu!

“Barriers are in the environment, not the individual”

Hey Bulls! Welcome back to LEAD On! This week, Sarah and Kelsey chat with Christina Papaleo, the Access Coordinator at Syracuse University. Christina works with over 300 students to provide them counseling on disability-related issues using the social justice model of disability service provision. Christina has worked in Higher Education since 2017 and has a passion for advocacy specifically in accessibility and inclusion for Higher Education.

Learn more about how Christina's leadership journey and how she works everyday to create a more accessible society!

Interested in learning more? Reach out to Leadub@buffalo.edu.

“You don’t need to do anything to be worthy of taking care of yourself” - Julia Jornsay-Silverberg

Julia is a social media enthusiast who loves to excite, inspire and motivate people to cut through the digital clutter by being authentic and vulnerable online. She talks to us about all the quantities of a good leader - self awareness, active listening, and mentorship. Listen in to hear how Julia's career has been fostered by creating meaningful relationships and being her true authentic self. 

Interested in connecting with Julia? Find her on LinkedIn or email her at juliajs530@gmail.com.

The UB Career Design Center is a great resource for finding mentors and kickstarting your career - https://www.buffalo.edu/career.html

Thanks for listening!

Calling all gamers! This week Sarah and Kelsey interview Jordan Walbesser, UB Double alum and counsel at Mattel Inc. With his degrees in computer engineering and law, he has a unique perspective on licensing, intellectual property, and technology matters in the NFT, digital, and video gaming space. Jordan has exhibited leadership as the President of the Engineering Alumni Association and as Vice President at BootSector, a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to empower, educate, and support the next generation of local entrepreneurs and startup leaders

Hear what Jordan has to say about Leadership and its importance in the digital space.

For more information, email leadub@buffalo.edu

“Being a leader is not about  giving my ideas, it's about giving platforms for people."

Welcome back! Today we are talking to two University at Buffalo Diversity Advocates. These students share their vision of leadership and offer some great advice. If you want to learn more about the Intercultural and Diversity Center, check them out on UBLinked: https://buffalo.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/idc

Lean in and LEAD Now!

Hey Bulls! Welcome back to LEAD On! Today we chat with Laura Azzarella, 2011 UB alumna. Laura is a strategic HR partner with a passion for servant leadership, organizational transformation, and employee engagement. She currently serves as the associate VP of HR/Employee engagement at Daemen College. Listen to learn more about what it takes to be a servant leader.

Interested in learning even more about servant leadership? Email Student Engagement at leadub@buffalo.edu.

Welcome to LEAD Now!, a spinoff to LEAD On! where we talk to student leaders at University at Buffalo. 

This week we talk to the Student Engagement Alternative Break Team Leaders. Alternative Break programs let you volunteer, perform community service and have unique learning opportunities during your spring break. By spending time immersed in a community, you’ll learn about your role as a global citizen, make new friends and connections, and discover how you can become an agent of change. After your trip, you’ll be able to share the lessons you learned with your local community, and continue to lead a life of active citizenship.

Interested in learning more? Contact leadub@buffalo.edu. Although the application is closed for Spring 2022, look out for the opportunity to apply in October 2022. Interested in being an Alternative Break Leader? Applications will open at the end of March/early April.

Welcome back Bulls! Durgham Alyasiri joins us today to talk about his heart work - the work that brings his passions to his career. Durgham has worked in the Non-Profit sector for the past few years and has a passion for bringing about change. Listen to learn more about servant leadership in practice.

Interested in getting involved with the Buffalo community? Contact UB Community and Civic Engagement at leadub@buffalo.edu. Or check out UBLinked for Service Saturdays and UB Kind events happening all semester!

Hey Bulls! This week Sarah and I are talking to Samuel Santiago, 2018 UB School of Management Alumnus. Sam is currently working at Mass Mutual Financial where he has developed leadership skills he learned at UB. Sam talks about how taking care of yourself is an essential strategy for practicing leadership development. Listen to learn more about how you can be an authentic leader!

Happy National First Generation College Student Day! Today we are talking to Dan Kaczmarek, Director of Assessment and Research at University at Buffalo and First Generation Student. Dan talked to us about the importance of transferable skills and learning how to be adaptive in a time of constant change. Dan left us with a great piece of advice, "Do it right the first time".

Interested in celebrating our First Generation students, faculty, & staff? Check out the events happening this week: https://www.buffalo.edu/studentsuccess/succeed/firstgen/celebration-week.html

Hey Bulls - today we talk to a current University at Buffalo Student and the Student Association President, Nick Singh. Tune in to hear how he views leadership and get some tips on how to start your own leadership journey at UB!

Check out Student Association here: https://www.sa.buffalo.edu/

We had so much fun interviewing Student Engagement's Fearless Leader, Phyllis Floro! Phyllis chatted about her not so common journey into a leader at the University. Phyllis is the type of leader that's got your back! Learn how Phyllis developed her skills and has come to define her leadership style. 

Interested in learning more about your personality? Check out UBLinked for workshops hosted by Student Engagement, highlighting 16 personalities and DISC Behavioral Assessment!

"You never really fail, you just learn"

Today we chat with Chazz Robinson to learn about his leadership journey! Chazz is a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership and Policy program. Chazz talked about the importance of authentic leadership and his goals as a future academic leader. Thanks for listening!

Be sure to check out UBLinked for opportunities to get involved!

Hey Bulls - welcome back! We have another great episode for you, featuring Julie Szrama! Julie describes leadership as finding what you love and doing it. She currently leads with empathy at Jacob School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences as the Student and Academic Affairs Coordinator in the Office of Medical Education. Thanks for listening!

Interested in getting involved with leadership activities at UB? Contact Student Engagement Leadership Team @ leadub@buffalo.edu or check UBLinked!

“Being a leader is about taking responsibility and setting a good example” - Christian Oliver

Hi Bulls - this week we are talking to UB Alumnus Christian Oliver! Christian reflects on his experience at UB as part of his own leadership journey.  During his first year orientation, he remembered a session hosted by the Student Association. He was inspired by their encouragement to get involved and eventually served in the role as SA President.

Christian urges you to get out of your comfort zone, challenge yourself and it will pay off - the time to do it is now!!

Thanks for listening and we will chat next week!

Hey Bulls! We are taking a short summer break to refresh and to develop our leadership skills. If you have any questions or feedback, please reach out to leadub@buffalo.edu. We have a whole lot planned for the Fall and we can't wait to chat August 26th!

Welcome back Bulls! Thanks for joining us this week on LEAD On! Today we are talking to Alicia Mara and Leo Chan, founders of Levitate Style. Alicia and Leo are UB alums and launched Levitate in 2014 as to showcase their passions in style, photography, modeling and traveling. Levitate Style has a collective readership and social media network of over 118,000 users. Levitate Style has also been featured in GQ and Forbes. Alicia and Leo encourage you to find your passions and go for it. They encourage you to find the people that will push you to discover your strengths and help you grow. 

Want to learn more about Levitate? Check it out here: http://www.levitatestyle.com/

Follow @levitatestyle

To hear more about Leo, check out his podcast: The Asian Menswear Podcast

Welcome back Bulls! Thanks for joining us this week on LEAD On! Today we are talking to Jennifer Oliver, a Partner at MoganRubin LLP in San Diego. Jennifer has 3 UB degrees - B.S in Business Administration and Management (2003), MBA and a JD (2007)! Jennifer discussed some of her favorite leadership books including The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni and Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant. She offered some great advice, "Don’t look back, because you aren’t going that way”. 

Thanks for joining us, Lean in & LEAD On!

Welcome back Bulls! Thanks for joining us this week on LEAD On! Today we are talking to Rohan D'Souza, the Chief Product Officer at Olive. Rohan graduated from University at Buffalo in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Science and Marketing. Rohan discussed how to be an adaptive leader and reminded us to "aggressively be in pursuit of your greatness".

Want to connect with Rohan? Connect with him on linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohanpdsouza/

"Leadership is not a rank, it is a responsibility" - Simon Sinek 

Welcome back Bulls! Thanks for joining us this week on LEAD On! Today we are talking to Tyler Smith-Strutz, A Senior Director at CVS Health! Tyler graduated from University at Buffalo in 2007 with a Doctor of Pharmacy. We had a great conversation with Tyler - he gave us three tips in being a successful leader:

1. Gain credibility through accountability

2. Learn how to effectively communicate

3. Utilize the PIE method - Performance, Image and Exposure

Thanks for joining us, Lead in & LEAD On!

Hey Bulls! Welcome to LEAD On! Today we are talking to Jessica Allen, a project engineer at NASA! Jessica graduated from University at Buffalo in 2011 with a bachelors in Mechanical Engineering. She joined NASA’s Cold Stow-age team where she works with the International Space Station to send up experiments for the astronauts to work on. Jessie has a passion for connection and wants to see more UB Graduates in engineering collaborate.

Check out The Society of Women Engineers website here: https://swe.org/

Hey Bulls! Welcome to LEAD On! Today we are talking to Joel Thompson, deputy director at Rice University's Moody Center for the Arts in Houston, Texas. Joel graduate from University at Buffalo in 2004 with a bachelors in Communication Magna Cum Laude. Upon graduating, he worked at UB as Director of Ticket operations for the center for the arts. In 2016 he moved to Houston to his current institution. Joel has ample volunteer experience with the UB Alumni Association, having experience leading both the Buffalo chapter and Houston Chapter. Joel is skilled in nonprofit organizations, budgeting, sales, professional mentoring and sales management. In his free time, Joel enjoys music and coaching! 

To learn more about the UB Alumni Association check out their website here: http://www.buffalo.edu/alumni.html

Hey Bulls! Welcome to our first episode of LEAD On! Today we talk to Kalinda Fisher, President and Founder of Advocate Market Research Bureau! Kalinda graduated from University at Buffalo in 1994 with a Bachelors of Arts/Masters of Science in Sociology. Kalinda founded the Advocate Market Research Bureau in 1998. She began Advocate to help businesses and organizations "gain a truer picture of their consumers by becoming the ‘voice’ of their consumer, and ultimately their advocate’". Recently, she launched The Great Reset and it became a non-profit in 2020. The Great Reset is currently in 25 half states and 10 countries. Kalinda has ample volunteer experience and has been given the first ever Change Maker Award in 2020 by the Market Research Council. Kalinda is an innovator with a positive authentic attitude. Kalinda lives in Nashville, TN where she enjoys the outdoors, her 90 lb puppy and spending time with her family.

To learn more about The Great Reset check out their Facebook Page here: https://www.facebook.com/GreatReset/

Lean In and LEAD On!

Welcome to LEAD On! A Podcast by UB Student Engagement!

Join us weekly as Sarah and Kelsey talk to real leaders, exploring their experiences and learning from them. We are so excited to start this journey, we hope you join us!