Buffalo Niagara 360 (BN360), the Buffalo Niagara Partnership's young professionals program, will launch a new year of programming with its annual Kickoff Celebration at Pearl @ The Lafayette, on September 26.
The Kickoff Celebration will feature the naming of ten Spotlight Professionals, a hand-selected group of young leaders who are anticipated to positively impact the community in the coming year and have been chosen as the "ones to watch."
This year's Spotlight Professionals have all relocated to Buffalo Niagara to further their careers. Here is a first look at some of this year's Spotlight Professionals.
Amanda Winklesas (Buffalo repatriate)
Amanda Winklesas is a Curriculum and Instructional Specialist at 3rd Leaning, an award-winning educational technology company providing standards-based software systems and applications to educators worldwide. Amanda develops curriculum aligned to Common Core standards, and brings her insight to the needs of educators for the development of standards-based technology platforms.
Amanda earned her B.A. in Secondary English Education from Canisius College and moved to New York City, where she earned an M.S. Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Fordham University. She taught at Frederick Douglass Academy, a public 6-12 college preparatory school in central Harlem. She took several educational trips including to Italy, China, and South Africa, and taught for a summer at the Edinaman Secondary School in Elmina, Ghana.
Currently a doctoral candidate in Urban Education at the City University of New York's Graduate Center, Amanda's dissertation research focuses on diversity trends in the teaching force, studying students of color and their perceptions of teachers' work and their own schooling experiences.
Chris Choi (new to Buffalo)
Dr. Yeong 'Christopher' Choi is Director, cGMP: Therapeutic Cell Production Facility & Assistant Professor of Oncology. He came to Buffalo to work for Roswell Park Cancer Institute from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), where he served as the Human Gene Medicine Program GMP Facilities manager, and led the startup and operation of a GMP compliant laboratory for Phase I/II clinical cell therapy studies. Following his success at UCLA, Chris led a successful Type C Pre-Facilities meeting with the FDA regarding the design, startup and operation of a GMP facility at Roswell.
Chris has spent a decade in the development of cell and gene-based therapies to improve the medical outcome of life-threatening diseases. He received his PhD from the University of Southern California from the department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology.
Vince Nicoletti (Buffalo repatriate)
Vince Nicoletti recently relocated to Buffalo from South Carolina to serve as Manager of Promotions and Partnerships at Darien Lake Theme Park and Resort. Vince is responsible for the development and execution of consumer promotions, brand alliances and cross marketing initiatives, on-park promotional event management, and associated advertising support and design.
Vince studied at St. Bonaventure University, then began his professional career with the Buffalo Sabres in the sales and marketing department. He has held various marketing management positions in sports and entertainment with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (the A-affiliate of the Atlanta Braves), and various theme park and attractions management groups.
Buffalo Niagara 360 is a program of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, and is run through the support of sponsors including Alliance Advisory Group, The Buffalo News, Canisius College Center for Professional Development, Citibank, Independent Health, Hodgson Russ, National Grid and Niagara University.
Food tastings will be provided by local restaurants, as well as a cash bar and door prizes.
To learn more about BN360 or to register for the 2013 Kickoff Celebration visit www.buffaloniagara360.org.
cue the usual whiners about how this event is ageist and discriminates against poor, underprivileged 50-somethings.