Growing up in Williamsville, Meagan Allers, MS ’15, might never have imagined that a graduate degree in higher education from Canisius University would lead to a career in the technology sector.
Today, Allers lives in San Diego and serves as Head of Community & Partnerships at Marco Polo, a software company focused on private, face-to-face video communication. Her career journey reflects not only the professional preparation she received through Canisius’ College Student Personnel Administration (CSPA) program, but also the lifelong connections and Jesuit values that continue to guide her work.
[Meagan Allers MS ’15 builds connections and fosters engagement—turning her passion for community into a thriving career in the tech industry.)
Building Skills Through Student Life
After earning her undergraduate degree from SUNY Fredonia, Allers enrolled at Canisius to pursue a master’s degree in higher education administration. During her time on campus, she worked as a student life coordinator and co-advised the student programming board, helping plan dozens of campus events each year.
From concerts and welcome week activities to traditional, long-standing events, the experience gave her hands-on leadership opportunities. “I’d help organize everything from Griff Fest to bringing speakers into Montante [Cultural Center],” she said. “It really was a wide array of things.”
And at a time when platforms like Instagram and TikTok were just beginning to gain traction, Allers helped launch a student social media team. “We started the hashtag #CanisiusLife and a fun thing we called ‘Shakes with Hurley,’” she said.
The lighthearted social media initiative featured students sharing milkshakes, conversation and a handshakes with the university’s 24th president, the now retired John J. Hurley ’78. The role allowed her to manage budgets, lead student teams and develop campus marketing campaigns—skills that would prove invaluable later in her career.
An Opportunity—and a Challenge
While at Canisius, an internship at Daemen University introduced Allers to the founders of CampusQuad, a startup developing a mobile-first communication platform for universities. The connection eventually led to a job opportunity, prompting her to move across the country to California.
But just nine months after she started, the company experienced funding problems and folded—leaving Allers unexpectedly unemployed in a new state. Instead of returning home, she turned to the Canisius alumni network. “The Buffalo ties and talking to Canisius alumni for help—there is value in that,” she said. “I just went on LinkedIn and started ‘cold calling’ for help and advice. It was amazing how many reached out to help.”
Growing a Career at Marco Polo
Through those connections, Allers secured a position with Marco Polo in 2016 as a customer success manager. Through the years, she’s advanced, filling several roles, and in 2021 was promoted to head of community & partnerships where she leads a team of 10.
In her current position, she focuses on growing communities around the platform and building partnerships that expand Marco Polo’s reach. Her work has included launching an ambassador program that has grown to nearly 2,000 participants and developing initiatives that connect the platform with educators, nonprofits and other organizations.
Even in the tech industry, Allers finds herself drawing on lessons from her time at Canisius. “In higher ed there’s a saying that your job includes ‘other duties as assigned,’” she laughed. “Early on at Marco Polo I was asked to organize a retreat,” she said. “I had never done anything like that and I was so nervous. But then I remembered everything I did at Canisius and thought, ‘I can do this.’” Those experiences—from planning events to coordinating vendors and organizing retreats—continue to shape how she approaches leadership and problem-solving.
Building Community Beyond Work
Allers’ passion for community building doesn’t end when the workday does. After transitioning to fully remote work, she looked for ways to meet people and discovered pickleball. What began as a small meetup for women curious about the sport has quickly grown into a community of more than 300 members.
Today, Allers, the self-described “pickleball connector,” organizes events for hundreds of players and manages brand partnerships for the group—once again drawing on the planning and leadership skills she developed at Canisius. “Pickleball is the new golf,” she said. “It brings people of all ages and backgrounds together. It’s a great place for people to network and make connections.”
Staying Connected and Paying It Forward
Although she now lives on the West Coast, Allers remains closely connected to her Buffalo roots, which include her parents, who still live in Williamsville, and several fellow Canisius alumni who live in the California area. She also keeps in regular contact with a group of eight friends she met and lived with while studying at Canisius. And like a true Buffalonian, she joins hundreds of fellow Western New Yorkers at a San Diego Buffalo Bills Backers bar during football season. Even her cellphone number still carries the (716) area code—one small reminder of Buffalo and the community she still proudly calls her own.
Looking back, Allers says her career path unfolded in ways she never expected. But she believes her Canisius experience—and the relationships she built along the way—opened the door to many opportunities.
Her advice to current students is to remain open-minded and take advantage of the alumni network like she did. “Getting your degree is important,” she said. “But what you do outside the classroom and the connections you make are just as valuable. Don’t think that just because of your major you’re locked into a certain career path,” she said. “And don’t be afraid to seek out Canisius alumni for help either,” she said.
She also credits the university’s Jesuit value of cura personalis, or care for the whole person, with shaping her outlook, including paying support forward. She recently me tored two young Canisius graduates just starting off in their careers, offering guidance, just as others once did for her. “The Canisius connections helped me in so many ways,” she said. “So, in return, I love to support other Canisius alumni.” For Allers, that cycle of support and paying it forward is exactly what a Canisius education is meant to create.
