Advisory Board
| Chair | Judi Nolan-Powell | Vice President ~ HSBC Bank USA | ||||||
| Immediate Past Chair | Debbie DiMatteo | Vice President ~ M&T Bank | ||||||
| Secretary | Kathleen Lynch | WNY Law Center | ||||||
| Treasurer | Gail MacCleverty | Vice President ~ 1st Niagara Bank | ||||||
Board Members
| Dr. Antone (Joe) Alber Dean Canisius College Wehle School of Bus |
Bernie Aja VP & Area Retail Leader Key Bank |
Bill Battle President & CEO WNY Chapter National Black MBA Association | ||
| Christine Bonaguide Partner Hodgson Russ LLP |
Cheryl Carr COO Carr Marketing Communications, Inc. |
Silvia Fakler President OATC, AtSylvia.com | ||
| Lynne Marie Finn President Superior Staff Resources, Inc. |
Nicole Fiorella Vice President Briand Fiorella Search, Inc. |
Richard Gorko Director NCCC Small Business Development Center | ||
| Tom Grifasi President Enterprise Holding Systems Corp. |
Jamiee Harrigan Financial Advisor Citi Smith Barney |
Dr. Ji-Hee Kim Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Canisius College | ||
| Lisa Kirisits President Lisa Kirisits, CPA |
Laure Kolb Managing Director World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara |
Nancy LaTulip VP Retail Banking Lake Shore Savings Bank | ||
| Marnie LaVigne, PhD Dir Bus Development NYS Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences |
Gail MacCleverty VP Business Banking First Niagara Bank |
Maureen Millane Associate Dean Canisius College External Business Programs | ||
| Christina Orsi Regional Director Empire State Development WNY |
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 County Veterans Services |
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.
Laurie Zabel (Director of Business Development) Laurie joined the Women's Business Center in April, 2008. She graduated with a BA in Clinical Psychology from Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA.
Her primary focus at the WBC will be the appropriate placement of clients in programs based on individual business needs. Laurie's professional background includes 9 years as a Social Worker and 10 years of corporate sales, marketing and management experience with Konica in New Jersey, NY City and Connecticut.
Laurie, her husband Walt, and two children live in Williamsville.
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 sophomore 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, and managing our new 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.
Danielle O'Mara (Client Services Coordinator) Danielle joined the Canisius College Women's Business Center as an AmeriCorps ABLE member (AmeriCorps Builds Lives through Education). She graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College in May 2008 with a B.A. Communicaton Studies and a minor in Sociology. She is excited to servce for the Women's Business Center as the Client Services Coordinator. Danielle's prior work experience includes over 5 years of retail customer service experience. Danielle has also volunteered part-time in the marketing department for Children Awaiting Parents Inc. in Rochester, NY, a nationally recognized non-profit foster care-adoption agency helping hard-to-place kids find loving and "forever families". She plans to attend graduate school at the University of Buffalo in Fall 2009 to earn her MSW in Social Work.
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.