 | |
Vice President, The Fatta Foundation
Chair, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Board of Directors
A product of the Canisius science program, Fatta’s ascent among the region’s leaders began in 1973, when he co-founded ACTS Testing Labs, which grew to become a global consumer products quality assurance company. After his retirement in 1998, Fatta took on two new challenges that would enrich the Buffalo Niagara community.
In 2001, he and other civic leaders founded BuffLink Inc., a private-sector initiative to promote the creation of a regional life sciences economy in Western New York. As volunteer president, Fatta led BuffLink’s successful creation of new enterprises, growth companies and ultimately a critical mass of life science activities that now position Buffalo Niagara as a global competitor for innovation.
But just as Buffalo’s life sciences industry crescendoed, one of the city’s most treasured cultural organizations sang a different tune. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) needed someone to put it back in sync and Fatta was inclined to help. A longtime supporter, Fatta became chairman of the board in 2004. He quickly secured the orchestra’s long-term future and preserved its rich tradition in Buffalo.
Fatta is vice president of The Fatta Foundation, which supports the welfare and development of Western New York children. He holds a BS in chemistry from Canisius and a PhD in inorganic chemistry from Wayne State University.
“Canisius gave me a well-balanced liberal arts education, which prepared me for graduate school and beyond,” says Fatta. “But underneath the ‘facts’ of the various subjects, there was something more subtle going on; something that would last a lifetime. Canisius taught me how to think in a critical questioning way; to ask probing questions about why the world was as it was. There was a stimulating sense of intellectual inquiry swirling around the college. Canisius also enhanced the values my parents instilled in me. Those ethics served me well in my business life. Finally, Canisius awakened in me the Ignatian teaching of caritas, care for others.”