Social innovation event to feature best-selling author Seth Godin

By Kevin Manne

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Leaders from the business, nonprofit and academic worlds will come together on April 27 for a day focused on social innovation and entrepreneurship hosted by the University at Buffalo School of Management’s Center for Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness (CLOE) in collaboration with the UB School of Social Work and Blackstone LaunchPad at UB.

The daylong event, “Leading Innovation in the Social Sector,” will begin at 7:30 a.m. at Buffalo RiverWorks, 359 Ganson St. in Buffalo. Seth Godin, author of 18 best-selling books on subjects such as the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing and leadership, will be the keynote speaker.

“This is an exciting opportunity for UB, through our schools of social work and management, to bring together socially minded individuals and organizations to learn from experts — and each other — by using innovation methods to identify and focus on bringing about meaningful and sustainable change,” says Paul Tesluk, professor and dean of the UB School of Management.

Additional presentations will feature insights from J.P. and Ulla Bak, co-founders of Bak USA, UB faculty and numerous mission-driven organizations and leaders.

The event builds upon the success of previous CLOE conferences, which have offered leaders the opportunity to learn about emerging research, how to put that research into practice in their organizations, and new ways to build collaborations and relationships.

The formal program will run until 5 p.m., followed by a cocktail/networking reception with recreational activities and the Pitch 10 Competition, where grassroots organizations and millennial-led nonprofits will compete for $10,000 in grants from Next Generation United.

For a full schedule and registration information, visit mgt.buffalo.edu/cloe2017.

The event is presented by the Buffalo Jewish Federation, the John R. Oishei Foundation, The Martin Group and the UB School of Management Alumni Association, with special thanks to Next Generation United, an initiative of United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, and Partnership for the Public Good.

Launched in fall 2013, CLOE strives to create more effective leaders and organizations. One of the center’s key objectives is to advance research and teaching in the area of leadership and its impact on organizational effectiveness. It also supports UB 2020’s goals of accelerating academic excellence, translating scholarship and developing leadership capabilities in UB students and business leaders.

The UB School of Social Work is recognized for its emphasis on social justice, community engagement, and integration of trauma-informed and human rights perspectives. The school is ranked as one of the best graduate schools in social work, in the top 10% nationally, by U.S. News & World Report. For more information about the UB School of Social Work, visit socialwork.buffalo.edu.