Thomas Ulbrich

MBA, University at Buffalo School of Management

As one of the Buffalo Niagara community’s most passionate advocates for small business, and a business owner himself, Tom Ulbrich intimately understands the critical significance of entrepreneurship to our local and global economy and culture.

Ulbrich has dedicated his personal and professional work to small business advocacy. He spent more than a decade as the executive director of the UB School of Management’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL), providing strategic oversight to advance the CEL’s mission of invigorating the local economy through entrepreneurial development. Under his leadership, the CEL expanded its interdisciplinary approach to educating emerging business leaders centered on best and next practices and backed by the thought leadership of the School of Management. During his tenure, the CEL was recognized multiple times as one of the Top 100 Small Business Influencers in North America.

Ulbrich is a member of the National Federation for Independent Business’s New York State Leadership team and a frequent author and orator on topics concerning the importance of small business and entrepreneurship to the vitality of the American economy. A testament to Ulbrich’s insights is his TED talk, “Is There a Better Way?,” which explores the necessity of developing entrepreneurial skills and spirit in students.

• Certified Net Promoter Score Customer Loyalty Associate
• Certified Professional Innovation Advisor, Basadur Applied Creativity
• Gazelles International Strategic Planning Certification

• President and CEO, Goodwill of Western New York
• Erie Community College Foundation Board of Directors
• Belmont Housing Resources for WNY Board of Directors