Harvard Business School Club of Buffalo

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Harvard Business School Club of Buffalo

We are the the Harvard Business School Club of Buffalo! Join us!

Run by HBS alumni, our focus is on connecting alumni, providing professional development, and supporting the local community through our three management programs.

10/19/2026

For Chris LaFleur, HBS Club of Buffalo board member and MDP moderator, the value of the Management Development Program goes beyond the cases themselves. It’s about bringing professionals together to examine complex business challenges, debate different approaches, and learn from one another’s experiences.

The Harvard Business School case method puts participants in the decision-maker’s seat. There isn’t always one right answer. Instead, participants must evaluate the information available, defend their reasoning, listen to competing perspectives, and consider approaches they may not have thought of on their own.

For Chris, that combination of engaging business cases, meaningful discussion, and professional connection makes the MDP a valuable experience for Western New York’s business community.

His own career spans finance, analytics, entrepreneurship, and AI-driven innovation, fields where sound judgment and the ability to see a challenge from multiple angles matter every day.

Interested in participating in a future Management Development Program? Learn more here, https://hbsbuffalo.com/management-program/

10/16/2026

For Week 4 of the Management Development Program, HBS Club of Buffalo board member Chris LaFleur led participants through two cases exploring the opportunities, risks, and strategic implications of artificial intelligence.

Moderna: Democratizing Artificial Intelligence examined how the pharmaceutical company expanded access to generative AI across its workforce. Participants considered how organizations can encourage innovation and experimentation while managing risks, establishing governance, and maintaining appropriate oversight.

Artificial Intelligence at Arriaga Asociados: Paralegal or Partner? explored how a Spanish law firm could use AI to improve efficiency and transform its business model, and whether AI was simply a tool for streamlining operations or a technology that could fundamentally reshape its competitive advantage.

Together, the cases challenged participants to think beyond the technology itself and consider the bigger questions: How do you balance innovation with responsibility? When should organizations encourage experimentation, and when is centralized oversight essential? And how can leaders turn emerging technology into meaningful business results?

With Chris’s experience spanning quantitative finance, data analytics, entrepreneurship, and AI-driven business growth, the discussion brought a valuable real-world perspective to these complex decisions.

10/14/2026

What happens when a local nonprofit leader has the opportunity to take her leadership development to the next level?
For Asantewa K. Holley, the answer was a transformative experience at the Harvard Business School Women’s Leadership Forum.

Asantewa completed the HBS Club of Buffalo’s Nonprofit Management Program. Through the Club’s scholarship program, she then had the opportunity to learn at HBS alongside accomplished women from across the country and around the world, and to step outside her day-to-day work to examine leadership, organizational culture, strategy, decision-making, and change from a new perspective.

One lesson continues to guide her:
“Let the structure do the heavy lifting.”

For Asantewa, the phrase captures an important leadership lesson: strong leaders don't have to carry everything themselves. They create the structures, systems, expectations, and accountability that allow people and organizations to succeed.

She returned to Buffalo with new tools, new relationships, and a renewed understanding that leadership is a continuous journey. She currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of Northland Workforce Training Center, where she leads operations spanning finance, HR, IT, marketing, facilities, and strategic initiatives.

We’re proud to have played a part in that journey, and happy to see the lessons and connections from HBS continue to make their way back into our Western New York community.

10/13/2026

Last week, the Management Development Program was welcomed to the Moog campus in East Aurora for another evening of case-based learning.

Jennifer Walter, Executive Vice President and CFO of Moog Inc. , moderated the Rob Parson case, challenging participants to consider a difficult management decision: How should a leader balance strong business results with concerns about an employee’s cultural fit?

Jennifer brought the case to life through 2 role-plays, giving participants the opportunity to step into the conversation, navigate a challenging performance review, and debate whether Parson should be promoted to managing director.

Don Fishback, former Moog CFO and currently a Director, led the discussion of Butler Lumber, a classic case focused on a fundamental business principle: Cash is King. Participants explored why growth and profitability don't always translate into healthy cash flow, and why understanding the numbers is essential to sound management decisions. Students then used the Ben Walter case to debate the sale price for Butler for both buyer and seller.

From navigating people and performance to understanding the financial realities of running a business, last week’s cases reinforced the value of looking at challenges from multiple perspectives.

A special thank you to Moog for hosting our MDP cohort on their beautiful campus – including a corporate overview and tour of their Advanced Integrated Manufacturing facility – and to Jennifer and Don for sharing their expertise and guiding such engaging discussions!

10/06/2026

Last week in MDP: numbers, ethics, and some difficult decisions.

Participants explored the fundamentals of financial health with Lisa Kirisits moderating Understanding Financial Decisions, diving into balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow. The session ended with the students immediately applying this knowledge to assign different companies to actual financial statements.

Then Peter D’Errico brought two Quick Cases to the table; Gigawatt: Pay to Play or Walk Away? and Winning a Rigged Bid: At What Price?

Both cases were distributed on site, and put participants in situations where there was no easy answer (or prep time prior to class), challenging them to think through corruption, ethics, risk, leadership, and the consequences of business decisions.
From understanding what the numbers are really telling you to deciding what to do when the “right” business decision isn't necessarily the easiest one, the second week demonstrated the range of conversations that make the MDP case method so valuable.

10/05/2026

As Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Moog Inc., Jennifer Walter brings more than two decades of experience in finance, leadership, and organizational decision-making to the HBS Club of Buffalo’s Management Development Program.

Jennifer joined Moog in 2000 after beginning her career at KPMG. Over the years, she has served in financial reporting, financial planning and analysis, and corporate controller roles before becoming Moog’s Chief Financial Officer in 2020.
She holds degrees in Accounting and Psychology, as well as an MBA from the University at Buffalo, and completed the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at Harvard Business School.

Jennifer has also been a moderator with the HBS Club of Buffalo since completing the AMP in 2019.

Her approach to moderating is rooted in the traditional case method: participants prepare individually, discuss the case with their study teams, and then come together for an interactive debate.

“I particularly enjoy watching participants take differing points of view and challenge themselves and each other, especially when role playing.”

That approach will be especially relevant when Jennifer moderates Rob Parson, a case centered on a high-performing employee whose strong results are complicated by concerns about his ability to adapt to the organization's culture.

There won't be one easy answer.

And that's exactly where the case method comes in.
We’re grateful to have experienced leaders like Jennifer bringing their perspective, experience, and willingness to engage in meaningful debate to the MDP classroom, and helping the next generation of Western New York leaders think more critically about the decisions they face every day.

10/02/2026

Next week, MDP participants will tackle Butler Lumber, a classic case that puts one of the most important fundamentals of business front and center: cash flow.

Moderated by longtime HBS Club of Buffalo MDP and NMP moderator Don Fishback, the case asks participants to look beyond sales and profitability and examine what is happening to a company’s cash—and why strong sales don't necessarily mean a business has the cash it needs to grow.

For Don, who spent nearly four decades with Moog, including serving as CFO, this is a particularly relevant lesson for aspiring managers.

The discussion will challenge participants to think through questions that managers face every day:
-How does growth affect cash flow?
- What happens when a business grows faster than its available cash?
-And what should management do when the numbers tell a more complicated story than the top line suggests?

Cash is King may be a familiar phrase, but this case gives MDP participants the opportunity to see exactly why that principle matters.

That’s the MDP case method in action.

09/29/2026

Why did Esther Annan join the HBS Club of Buffalo Board?

In her words, it comes down to three things: connection, learning, and giving back.

“I am humbled to join the Board of the Harvard Business School Club of Buffalo because it is an excellent opportunity to deepen my local executive network, sharpen strategic skills, and give back to the Western New York leadership community.”

Esther has already experienced the Club from inside the classroom as a moderator for the Nonprofit Management Program, where she has had the opportunity to connect with nonprofit leaders from across Western New York and explore the challenges that shape strong organizations.

For Esther, that experience has reinforced the value of bringing leaders together around real-world cases and conversations about mission, governance, funding, and organizational sustainability.

Now, as a Board member, she hopes to continue building those connections and contributing to a leadership community that brings the HBS case method and a culture of lifelong learning to Western New York.

We’re grateful to have Esther’s experience, perspective, and commitment to our community around the Board table, and we’re excited for what’s ahead.

09/28/2026

Please join us in welcoming Esther Annan to the Board of the Harvard Business School Club of Buffalo!

Esther Annan, LMSW, brings more than 20 years of experience spanning health and human services, philanthropy, grantmaking, fund development, and community engagement to the HBS Club of Buffalo.

Today, Esther serves as Vice President for Development at Villa Maria College, where she leads the College’s philanthropic strategy and works to strengthen relationships and secure support that advances opportunities for students and the broader community.

Her career has taken her across the nonprofit, philanthropic, government, and human services sectors, including leadership roles with The John R. Oishei Foundation, Say Yes Buffalo, Catholic Charities of Western New York, and the Erie County Department of Mental Health and Social Services.

But Esther's connection to the HBS Club of Buffalo goes beyond her new Board role. As a moderator in our Nonprofit Management Program, she has already been bringing her experience and perspective into the classroom, helping nonprofit leaders explore the connections between mission, governance, funding, and organizational sustainability.

Now, she is bringing that same commitment to learning, collaboration, and community leadership to the Club’s Board.
We’re excited to welcome Esther and look forward to the perspective, experience, and energy she will bring to the HBS Club of Buffalo community.

09/25/2026

What can an executive meeting and an opera contract teach you about leadership?

Quite a bit, especially when you put the cases in the hands of experienced business leaders and a room full of people willing to challenge each other’s thinking.

At the first session of the 2026 Management Development Program, John Scannell (HBS Club of Buffalo President and Moog Chairman) led participants through two very different cases: Erik Peterson and Sally Soprano.

The Erik Peterson case examines the events surrounding a critical series of meetings between a manager, his superior, and senior leadership, creating an opportunity to explore communication, decision-making, organizational dynamics, and leadership. The room was divided on their views of Erik’s ability to succeed which led to lively discussion.

Then the conversation shifted to the world of opera with Sally Soprano, a negotiation between an opera singer's agent and an opera house facing an unexpected vacancy just three weeks before opening night.

Different industries. Different circumstances. Different stakes. But both cases ask participants to think beyond the obvious answer. These two cases were a great way to highlight the importance of different points of view in decision-making!

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