UB School of Management honors Czarnecki, alumni business leaders

By Matthew Biddle

BUFFALO, N.Y. — On Nov. 9, the University at Buffalo School of Management posthumously honored Mark J. Czarnecki, BS ’77, former president and chief operating officer of M&T Bank, as the 2017 Buffalo Niagara Executive of the Year.

Czarnecki, who also served as vice chairman of the UB Council, died in February. His sons, Christopher and Gregory Czarnecki, accepted the award at the 68th Annual School of Management Alumni Association Awards Banquet at the Millennium Hotel in Cheektowaga.

Established in 1949, the Buffalo Niagara Executive of the Year award is presented annually to an individual who resides in or has a major impact on the region, and whose career has been distinguished by executive success and civic leadership. Selected by a vote of past honorees and the alumni association’s board, Czarnecki spent his entire 40-year career with M&T, helping it grow from a small local bank to one of the top 20 in the nation.

During the banquet, Richard S. Gold, vice chairman of M&T, remarked on Czarnecki’s leadership and legacy in the community.

“Mark was the rare executive who measured himself not by his own accomplishments, but by how successful he could help make those around him,” he said. “No one could out-work or out-think him, and the bank and the community benefited greatly from his dedication.”

In addition, the School of Management honored the following alumni for their impact on community, the school or their industry:

• Sudha Bommidi, MBA ’07, executive director of clinical services at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, for her service to the school
• Anthony C. Conte, MBA ’74, president emeritus of Shea’s Performing Arts Center, for his service to the Western New York community
• Rody Damis, JD/MBA ’13, legislative analyst in the Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President of the United States, for early career achievement
• Jeffrey Jacobson, BS ’81, CEO of Xerox Corp., for industry leadership
• Angie Kleeh, CEL ’04, CEO of TripleTrack HR Partners and executive director of Just For Kids, for entrepreneurship.