The Woman of Promise Award is presented annually to a female senior in the Jandoli School of Communication who excels in and out of the classroom and sets a good example for her peers.
This year's ceremony lauds
2026 Woman of Promise Award Honoree
Sydney Labayewski, '26,
and features
Keynote Speaker Wendy Mann, '85.
The program will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10,
in the Robert R. Jones Room, Doyle Conference Center.
Sydney Labayewski, a senior from Clinton, New York, majoring in Broadcast Journalism with a minor in Marketing, is the 2026 recipient of St. Bonaventure University’s Woman of Promise Award.
Named in honor of Dr. Mary A. Hamilton, ’59, professor emerita of Journalism and Mass Communication, the Woman of Promise Award recognizes a female senior who excels in and out of the classroom, sets a strong example for her peers, and demonstrates the skills and leadership necessary to thrive in her postgraduate career.
Labayewski embodies those qualities through her leadership, scholarship and service.
Since August 2024, she has served as executive producer of SBU-TV, leading student journalists in the production of campus news and broadcast content. In August 2025, she was named vice president and pitch team member of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), further expanding her leadership within the Jandoli School of Communication.
Her academic accomplishments include conducting original research on Gen Z local news consumption. She presented her findings at the Broadcast Education Association conference in Las Vegas alongside Professor Anna Bulszewicz, ’07, and Anthony DaSilva, ’25, contributing to national conversations about the future of local journalism.
Beyond the classroom, Labayewski is an accomplished student-athlete. She plays second base and shortstop for St. Bonaventure’s club softball team and competed in the College Softball World Series in spring 2025.
An Eagle Scout, Labayewski has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to leadership and service. In summer 2023, she returned to Scouting as a marketing development intern with the Laurel Highlands Council of the Boy Scouts of America in Pittsburgh. In summer 2025, she served as marketing communication intern at Indium Corporation in her hometown, producing storytelling content for community outreach, social media and employee testimonials.
She also broadened her global perspective through study at Oxford University in England during summer 2024.
Through her academic excellence, leadership in student media, professional experience and commitment to service, Labayewski represents the spirit and promise this award was created to honor.
Wendy Mann, ’85, an accomplished executive leader with a distinguished career in strategic growth and organizational transformation, will deliver the keynote address at this year’s Woman of Promise Award ceremony.
Mann has spent her career initiating meaningful change, introducing hundreds of strategic initiatives that have transformed organizations and strengthened long-term business planning, strategy and execution. Her expertise spans strategic visioning, marketing leadership and operational excellence.
She began her professional journey at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a global business organization representing American companies in the United States and abroad. Building on her Jandoli School foundation, she went on to establish a successful career in executive leadership within industry and professional organizations in the Washington, D.C., market.
In 2017, Mann was named CEO of the Commercial Real Estate Women Network (CREW Network). During her tenure, she led the organization to the largest revenue growth in its history, added a record number of new chapters, elevated the organization’s brand image and expanded its global presence into 13 countries. Her leadership strengthened CREW Network’s mission to advance women in commercial real estate worldwide.
In 2018, she completed Georgetown University’s executive coaching certification program, further sharpening her leadership and organizational development expertise.
A 1985 graduate of St. Bonaventure with a degree in Mass Communication and a minor in Political Science, Mann also participated in American University’s Washington Semester Program, studying politics in the nation’s capital.
Her career exemplifies the vision, resilience and leadership that the Woman of Promise Award celebrates.