2026 Conference
Leadership Reimagined: Building Resilient Organizations
April 23, 2026
Buffalo Niagara Marriott, Amherst NY
Join us for a premier gathering of forward-thinking leaders from around the world, dedicated to exploring the future of leadership and the strategic imperative of organizational resilience.
In a world of uncertainty, conventional risk management is not enough. This conference focuses on proactive strategies for adaptability, innovation and sustainable success. Participants will gain actionable insights into cultivating a culture where individuals, teams and the entire organization can not only withstand adversity but thrive in it.
The event will have sessions in three distinct tracks focusing on:
- Strategic Leadership and Organizational Resilience – Gain practical tools necessary to navigate uncertainty and drive transformation within your organization’s culture.
- Sustainable and Inclusive Solutions – Apply leadership frameworks and practices to prioritize equity, sustainability and global impact.
- Innovation and Technology: Scaling Agile Practices – Leverage emerging technologies to foster innovation while maintaining human-centered values.
Hosted by the University at Buffalo School of Management’s Center for Leadership and Global Impact, in collaboration with the Civil Society Unit in the United Nations Department of Global Communications.
Keynote Speaker
Don Sandel - Founder, Speaker, Facilitator, GoPositiv
Tracks
Track 1: Strategic Leadership and Organizational Resilience
Innovation, Impact and the Courage to Think Bigger
Tom Ulbrich, President and CEO, Goodwill of Western New York
Goodwill has always been one of America’s most powerful innovation stories. We turned donated goods into jobs, careers, and hope long before the term ‘social enterprise’ ever existed. Explore how to position innovation as a leadership responsibility, not a department or committee. An innovation culture starts and must be led and fed by senior leadership.
There’s a “We” in Well-Being
Danielle Tussing, Assistant Professor of Organization and Human Resources, University at Buffalo School of Management
Employee well-being has grown increasingly critical as a priority for organizations. This presentation describes a 30-day field experiment conducted at a large financial services organization assessing the effects of self-, leader- and group-driven approaches to supporting employee well-being.
Resiliency Panel
Led by Ron Hamilton, SVP, Risk and Compliance, BMS Group
The Ontological Foundation of Institutional Survival: Integrating Personal and Operational Resilience – The Ontological Foundation of Institutional Survival: This topic is often discussed in terms of frameworks, controls and recovery plans. Yet the true test of resilience emerges in moments of pressure, ambiguity and disruption. These are the moments when leaders and teams must make decisions before systems catch up. This session will explore the personal resilience required to sustain operational resilience over time. Drawing on real-world leadership experiences, we will examine how emotional regulation, moral clarity, stamina and disciplined judgment enable leaders to anticipate disruption. These attributes allow us to adapt with agility and embed resilience into organizational culture. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how individual resilience becomes a strategic asset, rather than a personal afterthought, in building durable and future-ready organizations.
Track 2: Sustainable and Inclusive Solutions
Understanding Different Facets of Inclusive Leadership
Daniela Goya-Tocchetto, Assistant Professor of Organization and Human Resources, University at Buffalo School of Management
In this session, you will gain a framework for understanding different aspects of inclusive leadership, helping participants figure out which aspects are most helpful for them and their organizations.
United Nations Panel
Led by Felipe Queipo, Program Management and Communications Officer at United Nations
Track 3: Innovation and Technology
Title forthcoming
Anand Nandkumar, Professor of Operations Management and Strategy, University at Buffalo School of Management
How More Than 40 Coaches and Leaders Are Using AI and Where They’re Drawing the Line
Celine Krzan, Clinical Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, University at Buffalo School of Management
AI is quickly showing up in coaching and leadership development, but the way professionals are actually using it is far more nuanced than the hype suggests. This session shares early insights from conversations with more than 40 coaches, coaching educators and organizational leaders about how they are experimenting with AI in real coaching and leadership development work. Participants discuss what’s working, what feels useful, where they feel uneasy and the boundaries they are actively setting around trust, confidentiality and professional judgment. Rather than focusing on tools or trends alone, the presentation surfaces patterns in how practitioners are making sense of AI in deeply human, relationship-driven work and what these early choices may mean for the future of coaching, leadership development and professional education.
AI in Action: A UB Case Study on AI-Powered Leadership Coaching
John Krzan, Founder, Orin Learning Intelligence
Dive into UB’s Leadership Coaching program and learn how AI tools are actively helping develop future leaders. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at what we’ve integrated, how it’s changing coaching practices and what lessons we’re learning.
$199 – Standard rate
$158 – Non–School of Management UB faculty, staff and students
$99 – Nonprofit rate
Free for School of Management faculty, staff, and students
A discounted rate has been arranged for guests at the Buffalo Niagara Marriott Hotel for $126 a night for those who book before March 25. Click here to book your room.
For more information, contact our facilitators at mgt-leaderconf@buffalo.edu.
