Emerging Leaders Class of 2021

Matthew Taboni (he/him/his) is a Town of Tonawanda native and is in his first year of his JD/MBA program at the University at Buffalo. While an undergraduate student at UB, Matt founded UB's food pantry, Blue Table, and began bringing more attention to food justice and food insecurity on college campuses. Matthew also engaged in student government at UB and advocated for students' mental health, gender equality, and other student needs. He now serves as the UB Sustainability zero waste intern and in his free time works as a decorator at Buffalo Cake Pops. Matt joined the Emerging Leaders program to gain a deeper understanding of justice work being done in the Buffalo area and to learn more about organizing and advocacy as he looks forward to a career in social entrepreneurship after graduate school.