A seat at the table

By Alexandra Richter

Through the School of Management’s Jordan A. Daniels Nonprofit Board Fellowship, they are introduced to the intrinsic value of service, grounded by a foundational curriculum that blends the concepts of board governance, servant leadership and inclusive excellence. The experience is transformative for both the students and the organizations they serve.

The program, a collaboration between the school’s Center for Leadership and Global Impact and the Career Resource Center, is named in honor of the late Jordan A. Daniels, MBA ’22, whose life and work exemplified a deep commitment to service. In her time as a fellow, Daniels served on the board of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.

She also supported the City of Buffalo’s Office of Diversity, Opportunity and Inclusion in her role as a UB Social Impact Fellow, along with many other professional and academic achievements, including work with Habitat for Humanity and as a graduate assistant in the School of Management’s Center for Leadership and Global Impact.

For Alagie Gassama, MBA ’25, one of the 2024-25 fellows, the chance to honor Daniels’ legacy is what inspired him to apply to the program.

“When I came across her name in a program email, I was compelled to learn more,” he says. “After discovering her passion for nonprofits and the legacy she left behind, I felt moved to apply, honor her impact and create my own.”

Gassama served on the board of the African American Cultural Center, where he offered his marketing expertise and provided recommendations for increasing engagement on the organization’s social media account

He and the other fellows — placed at such organizations as the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, The Impossible Project and Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network — attended board and committee meetings for their organizations throughout the year as nonvoting but active contributors, bringing fresh perspectives, energy and expertise.

“As students, we often combat imposter syndrome when stepping into meetings and sharing our ideas,” he says. “But we quickly learn the value we bring to the table, remain open to learning, strive to contribute and serve with humility.”

Janice Larson, customer marketing manager at Rich Products Corp. and longtime board member of Ronald McDonald House Charities of WNY, has seen firsthand what fellows bring to the table. For the past three years, the organization has welcomed School of Management students to the boardroom and benefited from their insight.

“The program allows us to create meaningful connections with the next generation of leaders,” she says. “The students bring new ideas and perspectives to our board conversations, including powerful ways to engage young people in our community.”

During the 2024-25 academic year, Larson worked with Mirka Arevalo, MBA ’25, who joined the board for a daylong retreat in addition to their meetings.

“Mirka helped us better understand our public imprint on the community we serve,” she says. “She brought unique skills to our marketing efforts, applying web scraping to extract data and show where we are reaching people and how they are responding.”

As fellows help their assigned organizations thrive, Larson says they are tapping into another important aspect of learning.

“After graduation, students often ask themselves ‘how do I serve my new organization and myself?’” she says. “This experience adds another dimension to that foundation: ‘How do I serve the community I live in?’ Board membership can allow someone to make an impact through their day-to-day occupation and by giving time and talent to a nonprofit cause.”

For Lauren Daniele, MBA ’26, who previously worked at FeedMore WNY, the program offers a comprehensive view of what it takes to lead a nonprofit.

“This experience has taught me nuances that I couldn’t learn in the classroom,” she says. “I was able to observe, in real time, nonprofit professionals and board members showing up to make an impact and embodying servant leadership by caring about the development of employees and fostering their growth.”

Assigned to the WNY Women’s Foundation, Daniele worked with the chair of the Governance Committee on strategies to recruit future board members and build an impactful board of directors.

“The board members’ commitment to making a difference reinforced what leadership can look like,” she says. “I hope to carry forward what I witnessed through the program to make meaningful change in my future career in the nonprofit sector.”

Like Daniele, Arevalo and Gassama, each fellow brings unique strengths to their organization and carries forward Jordan A. Daniels’ legacy of leading through service.

And, to further honor her legacy, the 2024-25 fellows came together for a day of volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, a cause Daniels was passionate about. Through their actions — both in the boardroom and the community — her legacy lives on.