Advisory Board
| Chair | Christine Bonaguide; Partner, Hodgson Russ LLP | |||||||
| Immediate Past Chair |
Judi Nolan-Powell, Vice President, HSBC Bank USA | |||||||
| Treasurer | Leslie Fox, CFO Business Resources | |||||||
Board Members
| Bernie Aja VP & Area Retail Leader Key Bank |
Laurie Albertsson Current President NAWBO |
Bill Battle President & CEO WNY Chapter National Black MBA Association | ||
| Cheryl Carr COO Carr Marketing Communications, Inc. |
Jodi de Riszner Consultant Eckstein Summers Armbruster & Co. |
Deborah DiMatteo Vice President M & T Bank | ||
| Lynne Marie Finn President Superior Staff Resources, Inc. |
Jennifer Flannery Attorney Damon Morey |
Joan Graci President APA Solutions | ||
| Tom Grifasi President Enterprise Holding Systems Corp. |
Laurie Hunter-Gilbert Hamlin Park Neighborhood Association |
Dr. Ji-Hee Kim Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Canisius College | ||
| Lisa Kirisits President Lisa Kirisits, CPA |
Angie Kleeh CEO Triple Track |
Chris Lane Agent Recruiter State Farm Insurance | ||
| Nancy LaTulip VP Retail Banking Lake Shore Savings Bank |
Marnie LaVigne, PhD Dir Bus Development NYS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences |
Kathleen Lynch Supervising Attorney Western New York Law Center | ||
| Gail MacCleverty Vice President First Niagara Bank |
Susan McCartney Director Buffalo State SBDC |
Kate Moody WNY Chamber Alliance | ||
| Marie Rabin Owner/Vice President CARA Medical |
Amy Remmele Owner Peak of Success |
Maryann Stein Dir. International Programs ECIDA | ||
| Sherill Sutton President & Owner Sassy Design Group |
Jerry Turcotte Executive Director MicroBiz Buffalo |
Derek Vanderlinde Financial Advisor Prudential | ||
| Patrick W. Welch, Ph.D. Director Erie Co.Veterans Services |
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WBC Staff
Melinda Rath Sanderson (Executive Director)
Melinda Rath Sanderson returned home in December 2003 after 24 years.
Her 20 years experience include working for one of the " Big 8 " public accounting firms, Lakeland Community College faculty, Nestles, Stouffer Hotels and resorts, and Westin hotels and resorts. In addition she has been a small business owner for 10 years.
The recipient of numerous awards and honors in her personal, professional and volunteer endeavors in several categories including sales and marketing, leadership, innovation and business ownership.
An accomplished speaker in a number of areas including motivation, inspiration, leadership, personal growth, and sales and marketing, she enjoys addressing groups and sharing her success story as well as knowledge and experiences to help others achieve their goals and dreams.
A graduate of the Buffalo Seminary, she holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Denver and also attended the University of New Hampshire and State University of New York at Buffalo.
An active member and participant in numerous business, professional, non profit and volunteer organizations in the past 20 years, she has served in many leadership roles and on numerous Boards. She was also this year's recipient of the U.S. SBA's Women in Business Champion of the Year Award for the Western New York region. In addition, Sanderson has been active in her church.
On a personal note, Sanderson was a competitive downhill ski racer both locally and nationally and currently enjoys skiing with her family. Other sports which she enjoys include tennis, crew, rollerblading and biking. While in high school, Sanderson was a foreign exchange student to Chile and is fluent in Spanish. She and her husband Bruce reside in Snyder and are the parents of Catherine, Sara, and William. Melinda is also the daughter of New York State Senator Mary Lou Rath and the late Supreme Court Justice Edward A Rath Jr.
Amy Rath (WIN Coordinator)
Amy Rath joined the Women’s Business Center in September 2004 as the WIN (Women in Networking) Coordinator. Amy founded the WIN groups based on a similar group experience in Cleveland, OH. Amy graduated with a B.A. in Communications from the Newcomb College of Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, and spent most of her time between Southern California and Chicago, IL in medical sales for a small German manufacturer. Afterwards, she established herself in Chicago working for a small, women-owned healthcare publishing firm. Shortly thereafter, Amy worked as a small business consultant for Paychex, Inc., and she credits this experience with all of her knowledge about small business operations. In August 2003, Amy moved to Buffalo to start a family with her husband. She is an active member of the Junior League of Buffalo and volunteers for St. Gregory the Great School in Williamsville. In her spare time, Amy enjoys running, skiing, practicing yoga and baking. Amy is happily married and a full time mother of 3 young daughters.
Sheila Conley Walsh(Director of Business Development)
Sheila Conley Walsh joined the Women’s Business Center in July 2009 as the Director of Business Development. Sheila is responsible for helping current and prospective WBC clients succeed by matching them with the many programs and services offered by the WBC.
A native of Western New York, Sheila graduated from Amherst High School and then received a BA in French from Le Moyne College and an MBA from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Sheila is a business professional with over 20 years experience in sales and human resources.Prior to joining the WBC, she was an adjunct instructor at Hilbert College, an independent representative for Silpada Designs and a consultant for Design NY magazine.Sheila also held various leadership positions for many years with Cook Moving Systems.
Sheila is very active in her community, holding many volunteer positions over the past several years with the Junior League of Buffalo.She co-founded and currently manages “C.A.L.L. Mom,” a recreational softball league for women in Amherst, New York.She and her husband, Richard, reside in Snyder, New York with their three sons, Richard Jr., Rory and Michael.
Jeannine Higgins(Marketing Director)
Jeannine Higgins joined the Women's Business Center in July 2009 as the Director of Marketing. She is responsible for coordinating the WBC's Marketing Committee and all of the Center's marketing initiatives. Jeannine also co-facilitates The Forum Series, a peer-to-peer mentoring group for women business owners.
Jeannine has 20+ years experience in marketing and public relations. A graduate of St Bonaventure University, she recieved an MBA from Canisius College. She was a vice president at HSBC and held various positions in sales, marketing and public relations. She was the Director of Community Relations at Verizon in WNY, before leaving to raise a family.
She is a graduate of Leadership Buffalo and a recipient of Business First's 40 Under 40 Award. Jeannine has extensive experience in community service, having served as the chair of the board for Cradle Beach Camp and the Better Business Bureau and is a former board member of several non-profit organizations, including the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County and the Buffalo Museum of Science. Currently, Jeannine serves on the Advisory Board of Nativity of our Lord Catholic School in Orchard Park, where she resides with her husband and daughters.
Maggie Burkard (Program Coordinator)
Maggie joined the Women's Business Center in April of 2008 as Program Coordinator. She holds a BA in Business Administration from Buffalo State College. As a member of the Canisius College Women's Business Center team, Maggie is responsible for planning, coordination and communication for WBC programs and special events.
Prior to her appointment to the WBC, Maggie worked for the Williamsville Central Schools and the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Divine Child. She is thrilled to be a member of the Canisius College Community.
Gabby Printz (Client Data Coordinator)
Gabby Printz is a Junior honors student at Canisius College, majoring in Political Science and working toward minors in Studio Art Printmaking and Art History. She came to work at the Women's Business Center in Fall 2007 by way of the Career Earning Excellence Program (CEEP) at Canisius. At the Women's Business Center, her responsibilities include tracking and reporting all organization data to the SBA, overseeing a database of almost 5,000 clients, blogging, and managing the Affiliate Online Directory
Gabby also has similar experience as a Donor Database Coordinator for the Women's Initiative for Self Employment in San Francisco, CA, where she is originally from.
Maureen Millane(A.D. and E.D. of Canisius College Richard J. Wehle School of Business)
Maureen Millane Rusk is Associate Dean of Canisius College Wehle School of Business with over all responsibilities for the Center for Professional Development, Canisius Center @ Amherst and the Women’s Business Center.
She currently serves on both the executive committee and the strategic planning committees for the Canisius College Wehle School of Business.
Rusk is an honors graduate of both Cornell University and Canisius College where she received her MBA. Maureen worked in organization development and training on corporate task forces and opening teams for Marriott Corporation and Hilton Hotels in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Providence, San Juan, Seattle, and Houston. Prior to her current position, Maureen was the resident manager of the Pittsburgh Hilton.
Rusk has been appointed to the President’s Council of Cornell Women and is president and trustee for the Buffalo Rotary Foundation, and on the strategic planning committee for The Rotary Club of Buffalo, a docent for the Albright Knox Art Gallery and hosts local television shows for Fox and Adelphia.
Recent awards include the Every Women Opportunity Center Award of Excellence, YWCA leader/management award, the president’s award from Buffalo Rotary, the Dr. I Joan Lorch award, a Paul Harris Fellowship, and the Amherst Chamber of Commerce Small Business Advocate Award.
She is also an honorary member of National Association of Women’s Business Owners for her dedication to and training programs for entrepreneurs and small business owners.