Foster Center Events

The William C. Foster '62 Center for Responsible Leadership at St. Bonaventure University hosts speakers and programs each semester aimed at encouraging and inspiring students and members of the Olean area at large to develop responsible leadership skills that will stay with them throughout their careers. Please return to this site often for news about future Foster Center events.

Thursday, April 20, 7-9 p.m.
Challenger Learning Center

LIGHTNING-ROUND SUCCESS SOCIAL
A fun, 60-minute dash to a career path

Presented by the Foster Center for Responsible Leadership
in partnership with Olean Young Professionals

An hour-long program of lightning-round presentations in which groups of soon-to-be college graduates get advice from six young professionals about how to start down the path to a successful career. The event will take place at the Challenger Learning Center in Allegany, near the SBU campus.

Here's how it works:

Six Olean-area young professionals will each make 10-minute interactive presentations on a different topic to different groups of 10-12 upperclass SBU students.
At the end of the 10 minutes, each group of students will rotate to another presenter, who will make their presentation again to a new group of students.
At the end of the hour, each group of students will have cycled through all six presentations by the young professionals.

Following the lightning-round presentations there will be a meet-and-greet networking event with hors d'oeuvres and refreshments. St. Bonaventure faculty are welcome to attend and tour the many learning opportunities at the Challenger Learning Center during the lightning-round talks, and to join the post-program networking reception.

Students are required to register.

Additional upcoming Foster Center events

The Foster Center will host a luncheon at the 2023 Association of Franciscan Colleges & Universities Symposium to be held June 20-22 at Siena College.
2024 Foster Center Conference, April 2024. This conference will explore the role of our Franciscan charism as it guides cross-discipline pedagogy and relates to issues of leadership. Dates and additional details will be presented here as they are finalized. Please return to this site often.

Past Foster Center events

Spring semester 2023:

Talk on Leadership & Integrity

Shimsky for web MaryJane Shimsky, who represents the 92nd District in the New York State Assembly, addressed students, faculty and staff on leadership and integrity in a campus talk on Feb. 20, 2023.

Shimsky graduated from Yale University in 1982, earned her law degree from New York University School of Law in 1985, and her Ph.D. in history from the City University of New York in 2007. She worked for four years as an assistant district attorney in the Appeals Bureau of the New York County (Manhattan) District Attorney’s Office, and taught history and geography at the former Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York.

"Assembly member Shimsky’s message was that values, integrity and hard work are the keys to a happy and successful life, a message that pairs perfectly with the mission of the Foster Center for Responsible Leadership," said Dr. Michael Gallagher, associate professor of finance and Foster Center director."

Spring semester 2022:

Leadership and Authentic Community

This program featured a keynote address titled "Authentic Human Leadership and the Common Goon in light of AI, Zoom Meetings and Virtual Society" by Dr. Andrew B. Gustafson (right), professor in the Heider College of Business at Creighton University.

Additionally, Mark Sickles, CEO of SuperOrg, Inc, chair of Chief Capital Officer institute, and 2022 St. Bonaventure University Lenna Visiting Professor, presented a talk titled "Creating the Right Conditions for Utilitarianism in the Global Business Community.

Watch the keynote address

Plenary Address by Mark Sickles, CEO of SuperOrg, Inc.: Economy of Communion: Faith Put to Work, and Work Feeding Faith

Fall semester 2022:

Taking Care of Ourselves

This program featured a panel of experts in professional and pastoral care as they addressed the challenges students face living in a post-COVID world and the impacts the pandemic left on them in arguably their most formative years.

Panelists were Joe Torreggiani, senior software engineer at Square, inc.; Megan Henberger, physician assistant studies student; Gerald Daly, a personal resilience facilitator; Mikki Medler, social worker at Wellsville Central School; Del Rey Honeycutt, associate dean for student and community wellbeing at St. Bonaventure; and Br. Kevin Kriso, O.F.M., member of Holy Peace Friary at Mt. Irenaeus.

Watch the archived video

Spring semester 2022:

Leadership and Authentic Community

Watch the keynote address

Plenary Address by Mark Sickles, CEO of SuperOrg, Inc.: Economy of Communion: Faith Put to Work, and Work Feeding Faith

Fall semester 2021 workshop series:

Keeping the Community Working

This series of three workshops, presented fall semester of 2021, provided Olean-area residents with skills to help them find career success and become vital contributors to the regional economy.

Workshop 1: Navigating the Job Market

Stevens Accordion Presenter: John B. Stevens, lecturer of marketing in the School of Business at SBU and owner/operator of JB Stevens Organizational Solutions.

This workshop focused on what to do when entering or moving about the job market, covering such things as resume writing, applying for a job, interviewing, legal issues, internet searches and more.

Watch the archived YouTube presentation.

Workshop 2: Resources Available on the Web

Watkins Accordion Presenter: Don Watkins, educator, writer, social entrepreneur, free and open-source software advocate, and a leading author for opensource.com.

This workshop addressed web resources to help you remain computer literate, addressing such topics as cybersecurity, messaging applications, password managers, online learning and more.

Watch the archived YouTube presentation.

Workshop 3: Honing Your Excel Skills

Anne Foerst accordion Presenter: Dr. Anne Foerst, professor of computer science at St. Bonaventure and director of the university's individualized major program.

This workshop focused on becoming familiar and adept at using Microsoft Excel, the industry leading spreadsheet software program. Foerst shared tips, tools and fun facts about Excel. For instance, did you know that no matter where you are when you exit the file, when you return to it you will drop back in exactly the same spot?

Watch the archived YouTube presentation.

Fall semester 2021 program for students:

Digital Literacy in This New Age

Jen Wilke Huger Presenter: Jen Wike Huger, manager and community lead at Red Hat, a leading open source software company.

This presentation focused on tips for creating a digital presence that you can be proud to show off in a job interview. It also addressed career path zigs and zags to navigate as you prepare to enter the workforce.

Watch the archived YouTube presentation.

Spring semester 2021

Moments That Matter: A Look at Leadership
Presented by Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Maureen K. LeBoef, author of "Developing Your Philosophy of Living & Leading One Moment at a Time"

Maureen K. LeBoeuf An Olean native and 1976 SBU graduate, LeBoef held various staff and leadership positions during her 28 years in the Army including flying UH-1 helicopters in the U.S. and Europe. She served as professor and head of the Department of Physical Education at West Point from 1997 until her retirement in 2004, becoming the first woman department head at the military academy since its founding in 1802.

LeBoef holds a master's and Doctor of Education from the University of Georgia and is a senior adviser and faculty member at Thayer Leadership at West Point. In addition, she served for nine years on the St. Bonaventure Board of Trustees; for three years as executive director of the Feagin Leadership Program at Duke Sports Medicine; as vice chair of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services; and as chair of the Board of Directors for the USO of North Carolina.

Fall semester 2020

Developing Your Digital Brand
Presented by Joe Torregiani, senior software engineer, technologist, researcher, educator and activist

Torregiani has dedicated his career to doing the most good that he can do. He focuses on solving a problem posed by American architect and designer R. Buckminster Fuller: "Make the world work for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological damage or disadvantage to anyone."

This singular pursuit has led him to become a core technical contributor at impact-driven organizations across multiple domains.

A senior software engineer, Torregiani builds tools to empower people to participate and thrive in the economy. He is a co-founder of the Sustainable Progress and Equality Collective (SPEC), an open learning organization that empowers individuals to be catalysts for positive change through mentorship, training, action research, and service learning.

Fall semester 2019

Ethics in Business: Mission Impossible?
Presenter: Ed Moore, executive vice president and chief human resources officer for Rich Products of Buffalo.

Spring semester 2020

Making Connections: How Journalists and Businesspeople Can Learn From Each Other
Panel discussion moderated by Janet Bodnar, editor-at-large and former editor (retired) of Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
Panelists:

SBU graduate Erin Lowry, financial advice author, blogger, lecturer and educator
SBU graduate Kevin A. Keenan, founding partner of Keenan Communications Group
Michael D. Herley, servant leader and entrepreneur
Brian Connolly, vice president of innovation and business development at The Buffalo News.

Fall semester 2018

An Inside Job: A Discussion of the Development of Responsible, Ethical Corporate and Social Leadership Practices
Presenter: SBU gradate Pamela Say Witter, vice president for Development and Community Engagement at Trocaire College, the author of three books, and a small-business owner.

Spring semester 2019

Creating Good Leaders: Interdisciplinary and Practical Perspectives on Educating and Inspiring Business and Civic Leaders
A conference featuring 10 presenters and a keynote address by state Assemblyman Joseph M. Giglio.

Fall semester 2017

A View From the Inside
Presenter: SBU graduate Matthew Cullinane, American diplomat who focuses on international trade, foreign assistance programs and U.S. overseas business interests at the United States Agency for International Development.

Spring semester 2018

Developing Ethical & Responsible Decision-making Skills
Panel discussion with:

James Stitt, executive chairman and primary owner of Cutco Corporation of Olean
David Koebelin, vice president and director of Human Resources, Cutco Corporation of Olean
Mark Paup, president and CEO of Zippo Manufacturing Company and its subsidiary, W.R. Case and Sons Cutlery Company, Bradford, Pa.
Bruce Gallagher, senior vice president of Human Resources, Zippo Manufacturing Company of Bradford, Pa.

In this first year of the program, two presentations were offered in the same calendar year.

Spring semester 2017

Business Practices of the Economy of Communion
Panel Discussion with:

Nicola Sanna, CEO of RiskLens
John Mundell, president and CEO of Mundell & Associates
Fr. David Couturier, O.F.M., Cap., dean of the School of Franciscan Studies at St. Bonaventure
Dr. John Gallagher, professor of management at Maryville College in Maryville, Tenn.

Fall semester 2017

Establishing Personal Ethics Early in a Career
Presented by Alfonzo Alexander, chief relationship officer of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy and president of its Center for the Public Trust

St. Bonaventure University

Foster Center Events

Thursday, April 20, 7-9 p.m. Challenger Learning Center

LIGHTNING-ROUND SUCCESS SOCIAL A fun, 60-minute dash to a career path

Presented by the Foster Center for Responsible Leadership in partnership with Olean Young Professionals

Additional upcoming Foster Center events

Past Foster Center events

Thursday, April 20, 7-9 p.m.
Challenger Learning Center

LIGHTNING-ROUND SUCCESS SOCIAL
A fun, 60-minute dash to a career path

Presented by the Foster Center for Responsible Leadership
in partnership with Olean Young Professionals