Our Impact

“I joined the Emerging Leaders program to develop my leadership skills and grow my network. I saw so many other past graduates succeed. I saw them launch businesses, run for office, manage non-profits, and change legislation.

I learned more about the environment and I improved my public speaking skills. I learned how to continue to make a greater community impact from the weekly and weekend sessions, from the course material, as well as from my cohort as we shared our experiences from our various backgrounds. I learned more about the needs of others and gained a deeper respect for diversity and inclusion.

This program is vital because it develops leaders with interactive learning and team building exercises that build on each other one by one. The program sharpens skills, and creates lifelong bonds. My cohort became business owners, community service awards winners, nurse practitioners, and college graduates!

The Open Buffalo team is a dedicated, and committed group of intelligent individuals who want our community to shine. Their attention to our needs and the needs of the greater Buffalo area is timely, crucial, and very much needed. The stated outcomes of the program are already bearing fruit, and I am glad I was enriched by it.”