BUFFALO, NY – Twenty-nine Canisius University alumnae earned a place on Business First’s 2024 list of “Power 200 Women.” The annual ranking identifies the most influential women who are helping to shape the Western New York region by way of their positions as business executives, nonprofit leaders or entrepreneurs. The rankings consider time spent in a leadership position, prominence of the company or organization and its number of employees, as well as the person’s community involvement.
Congratulations to the following Canisius University alumnae named to this year’s list of “Power 200 Women:”
#3 Mary Wilson HON ’24, life trustee, Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation
#4 Kimberly Minkel-Shepard MBA ’96, executive director, Niagara Frontier
Transportation Authority
#12 JoAnn Falletta HON ’00, musical director, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
#31 Laura Zaepfel ’86, vice president for corporation relations, Uniland Development Co.
#38 Margaret Paroski ’76, MD, president and chief executive officer, Catholic Health Medical Partners
#41 Maureen Athoe ’80, chair of the board of directors, Catholic Health Systems
#43 Tonja Williams MS ’90, superintendent, Buffalo Public Schools
#54 Patricia Farrell MBA ’94, managing director and head of sales, Wilmington Trust
#71 Chandra Redfern ’99, chief executive officer, Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers Inc.
#75 Georgia Dachille ’87, executive vice president and chief strategy and transformation officer, Rich Products Corporation
#83 Diane Tiveron ’86, owner and managing partner, Tiveron Law PLLC
#89 Christine Wiktor ’01, area vice president, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Service
#90 Jessica Baker ’99, general counsel, Evergreen Health
#91 Norma Nowak ’79, PhD, chief scientific officer and founder, Empire Genomics
#97 Lorna Fitzpatrick ’90, vice president of medical affairs and senior medical director, Univera Healthcare
#99 Kelly Reitnour ’03, senior vice president of brand and sponsorship marketing, KeyBank
#102 Marie Cannon ’87, president and chief executive officer, Community Action Organization of Western New York
#108 Darby Nengel Fishkin MBA ’98, co-owner and chief operations officer, CBRE Buffalo LLC
#117 Jessie Fisher ‘97, executive director, Frank Lloyd Wright Martin House
#125 Kathleen Grisanti ’07, president and medical director, Pediatric and Adolescent Urgent Care of Western New York
#160 Shannon Bryant MS ’13, chief diversity inclusion officer, Kaleida Health System
#165 Karen Antonelli ’94, partner, Chiampou Travis Besaw and Kershner LLP
#172 Marsha Koelmel ’90, co-president and co-founder, Catapult Executive Consulting
#174 Nadine Marrero ’99, president, Bridges Development Inc.
#176 Cindy Eller ’83, executive director, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
#185 Colleen Robertson MS ’01, principal, Nardin Academy
#192 Anne Gioia ’71, co-founder, Roswell Park Alliance
#197 Andrea Feine MBA ’08, vice president, Paramax Corporation
Canisius was founded in 1870 in Buffalo, NY, and is one of 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the Northeast, Canisius offers undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional programs distinguished by close student-faculty collaboration, mentoring and an emphasis on ethical, purpose-driven leadership.
