Canisius College

Mark Hjalmarson, Class of 2006, is Assistant Vice President & Team Leader, Central Technology, for M&T Bank Corp. in Buffalo, NY. Mark has been with M&T Bank for 7 years, and is responsible for the technical leadership of two multi-million dollar projects: an automated commercical bank lending system and a system compiling bank-wide customer demographic information in one location. Both projects involve teams of more than 25 individuals on 2 continents. Leading these projects requires “oversight of the technical design, software development, conversion, integration with other systems, and implementation.” The C&L program provided Mark with “the tools and knowledge to excel as a technical manager leading a globally-diverse and geographically dispersed workforce.”

This May, Lisa Krug, Class of 2006, joined The Center for Hospice & Palliative Care as the Director of Human Resources. She is responsible for the “day-to-day operation of the Human Resource team,” which supports the organization’s employees. Lisa also manages a team of 4 individuals, comprising the Benefits Specialist, Employee Health Nurse & Recruiter, Benefits Assistant and HR assistant. Lisa’s position requires effective communication between levels within the organizational structure, in addition to the implementation of leadership skills. The C&L program helped Lisa develop and refine the leadership skills necessary to succeed in HR management. Judy Spear’s and Dr. Weinstein’s Professional Leadership class was a “life-changing experience,” which helped her confirm her personal strengths were a match for a career in HR.

LaTashia Martin, Class of 2006, joined Sodexo in Buffalo, NY, as Training Program Developer in April 2008. Sodexo provides integrated food and facilities management services for institutions across North America. LaTashia’s responsibilities include the design and implementation of training programs for financial services. These programs present organizational information as well as instruction on how to properly use the financial systems. LaTahsia’s experiences in the C&L program were “extremely valuable,” and helped prepare her to succeed at Sodexo, through valued courses like Personal Leadership and Communication
Technology.

Lisa M. Roy, Class of 2001, is Director, Investor Relations for the Buffalo Niagara Partnership. The Buffalo Niagara Partnership is made up of “local businesses, working together, for growth in our region,” and “advocates, every day, for an improved business climate in the WNY region.” Lisa’s responsibilities at the Partnership involve managing the Investor Relaions team within the membership department, “with goals to attract, involve and retain member investment, sponsorship and regional stewardship.” The C&L program helped Lisa develop “knowledge and awareness of important communicaiton skills such as running an effective meeting, team building, delivering effective evaluations,” and gave her the skills needed to play an “instrumental role in departmental reorganization” at the Buffalo Niagara Partnership.

This past June, Heather M. Stammler, Class of 2007, began her career as Change Control Manager for Rich Products. She is responsible for leading “effective and efficient plant changes” for the north region of North American manufacturing operations for Rich Products. She supervises the implementation of all change initiatives, ensuring necessary changes are made to minimize risk and financial impact to Rich Products and their customers. The C&L program prepared Heather by providing “endless tools on the most effective ways to lead people and communicate with all levels of the corporation,” making it her most valuable eduational experience.

Susan Was (Anderson), Class of 2006, was previously the Talent Acquistion Manager for Curbell Inc. and has recently been promoted to Human Resources Business Partner. She joined Curbell in Sept. 2007, taking on the responsiblities of providing talent acquisition services to Curbell, Inc., Curbell Electronics, Inc. and Curbell Plastics, Inc. In addition, Susan is responsible for “cold calling, networking, sourcing, relationship building and managing the full life cycle for 15 [Curbell] locations throughout the U.S.” The C&L program prepared Susan for her role by providing the skills to “effectively network, communicate and persuade” in the workplace.