CLUB HISTORY

In 1951, no MBA programs were available in Western New York, leaving companies without local education options for developing new or prospective managers. Some recent HBS graduates working in Buffalo–Guy Berner (Niagara Share), Russ McNeill (Houdaille), Karr Parker (Buffalo Electric), and Pete Gebhart (Balfour Jewelry)- recognized the need for ongoing business education to support the professional development of their employees and decided to fill that gap. They launched a case-based program modeled after the first year of the Harvard MBA, with a simple mission: to help their companies cultivate the next generation of managers. Since then, the Management Development Program has continued to evolve. Each year, the curriculum is updated to include some of the most widely used and respected cases and notes from HBS Publishing. To date, more than 1,700 professionals from Western New York have participated in the program.

The Executive Development and Management Development Programs

The Executive Development Program originally ran for 25 weeks, covering two to three cases each evening. In its early years, class sizes were small, with just 8 to 10 students, and tuition was only $30 for all 25 sessions.

As the program grew, the moderator team expanded to include Dick Piper, Ralph Seiler, Ray Bernhardt, MD, Frank Wilton, Kevin Keane, George Laub, and Myles Fox. Over the program’s 70+ year history, at least 109 Harvard Business School graduates and other professionals have served as case moderators (see List of Historical Moderators). Many of these volunteer moderators are deeply committed to both management development and the Buffalo community; some have contributed for over 20 years, and a few for more than twice that.

The program’s first classes were held at various locations, rotating among conference rooms at the companies of participating moderators. By the 1960s, it found a consistent home at Canisius College. In the late 1980s, the program moved to Daemen College. The classroom shifted again in 2011 to the Innovation Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, then to the United Way Building on Delaware Avenue in 2012. In 2013, it relocated once more, this time to The Buffalo Club, where it continues today.

By the 1980s, the program had grown to an average class size of 25 participants. However, the Christmas break and frequent January weather-related school closures often caused a drop in attendance during the second half of the year. At the same time, the number of volunteer moderators began to decline. In response, the program was shortened from 26 to 13 weeks, and its name was changed from the Executive Development Program to the Management Development Program.

Use of Funds

Over time, the all-volunteer organization began generating a surplus of funds from program tuition. In 1967, Russ McNeill and Kermit Brandt established the HBS Club of Buffalo Fellowship Fund at Harvard Business School. Each year, the surplus was sent to the School with two requests: to provide additional financial support to MBA students from Western New York and to recognize each program moderator as having made an alumni gift.

By 1985, the fund had grown substantially in market value. However, the School informed the Buffalo Club that it could no longer honor those two specific requests.

As a result, the HBS Club of Buffalo began retaining excess funds locally and exploring meaningful ways to use them. Over time, an annual distribution process was established, allowing each moderator to direct a designated amount, based on the Club’s current financial position, to a Western New York nonprofit of their choice. Through 2025, these distributions have supported over 125 organizations and totaled over $750,000.

The Dean W. Rech / HBS Club of Buffalo Fellowship

In 1996, the fellowship was renamed the Dean W. Rech/HBS Club of Buffalo Fellowship in honor of Dean’s many years of dedicated service to the Club prior to his untimely passing that February.

Over the years, the Club has contributed $500,000 to the Dean W. Rech/HBS Club of Buffalo Fellowship. By 2004, strong investment performance by the HBS Alumni Fund had increased the value of the Fellowship to $2.5 million.

That same year, the School informed the HBS Club of Buffalo that funds from the Fellowship could be used to support Western New York applicants attending the week-long Executive Education programs for nonprofits. As of 2023, the Club has awarded 73 full scholarships to local nonprofit Executive Directors and managers who completed the NMP.

The Charlotte and San Diego Replicas

One of the moderators in the Buffalo Management Development Program, Jack Burke, retired to Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2003, he reached out for assistance in starting a similar program. We provided him with schedules, instructions, case lists, brochures, application and evaluation forms, and website content. Using these materials, the HBS Club of Charlotte created its own version of the Management Development Program, which continues to operate successfully today.

In 2013, Michael Militello, a former HBS Club of Buffalo President, moved to San Diego, CA. He successfully encouraged the much larger San Diego HBS Alumni Club to launch both a Nonprofit Management Program and a Management Development Program, modeled after those in Buffalo.

The three HBS clubs, Buffalo, Charlotte, and San Diego, regularly share ideas on teaching methods and case selection. They are united by a common goal: to offer accessible, case-based management development opportunities within their local communities.

The Advanced Management Program

From 2015 to 2019, Wayne Robinson developed and led the HBS Club of Buffalo Advanced Management Program, a smaller, more intensive course designed for graduates of our other programs who were on a career path with aspirations for general management roles. The program challenged participants to learn new tools, process large volumes of information, and apply their knowledge in a focused, case-based classroom setting.

The Nonprofit Management Program (NMP)

In late 2004, the first group of four nonprofit scholarship recipients returned from HBS with overwhelmingly positive feedback about their experience. However, at the time, the Club was limited to awarding only four scholarships per year. In response, we launched our own local Nonprofit Management Program in 2005, modeled after the HBS programs, but at a significantly lower cost. This initiative continues the original 1951 mission: to provide accessible, high-quality management development opportunities for local leaders. While the NMP follows the same teaching methods as the MDP, it features a distinct set of cases and a teaching team with expertise in nonprofit management.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted our in-person classes. That fall, we offered a successful, shortened version of the Nonprofit Management Program via Zoom.

Harvard – Flickinger Governance Project

In 2010, the Flickinger Family and the Community Foundation invited the HBS Club of Buffalo to develop a program aimed at strengthening the governance skills of nonprofit boards. Four sessions were delivered to seven nonprofit organizations, each represented by five board members and their Executive Director, resulting in a cohort of 42 participants.

This program was both experimental and challenging for moderators and participants alike. The format and content differed from the Club’s traditional programs, particularly in its use of discussion-based questions rather than formal case studies. Moderators encouraged multiple responses to each question, allowing participants to explore a range of perspectives on issues such as executive committees and board member agreements.

Managing Healthcare Delivery Systems

In 2009, HBS launched a new three-week Executive Education program: Management of Healthcare Delivery Systems. This signature initiative featured some of the school’s most renowned faculty and consisted of three week-long sessions over six months. Each year, more than sixty clinicians and healthcare leaders from major hospitals around the world participate in the program. But with a tuition cost of $21,000 per participant, HBS initially did not anticipate enrollment from Buffalo.

However, thanks to a combination of the HBS Club of Buffalo Fellowship funds and matching scholarships from the School, the Club successfully sent eight managers and clinicians from three Western New York hospitals to the MHCD program. The goal was to foster a shared learning experience, strengthen collaboration among local hospitals, and ultimately enhance healthcare delivery across the region. Remarkably, the Buffalo cohort was the largest from any single city in the 65-participant international program and the only one to consistently send a team composed of leaders from multiple hospitals. The Buffalo/Niagara region uniquely emphasized regional collaboration in healthcare, rather than focusing on individual institutions.

Fostering Collaborative Healthcare Leadership

Each year, the Club arranged for a team from Kaleida, Roswell Park, Catholic Health, and ECMC to attend the program on full scholarships to provide a shared leadership development experience to benefit both individuals and their organizations. The Club has built a strong tradition of collaboration with Western New York’s leading healthcare institutions.

The Club has continued to provide matching scholarship support for local hospital leaders attending the MHCD program. Since 2009, Buffalo has become the most represented city in the MHCD program, and the only one to consistently send cross-institutional teams, underscoring our region’s rare spirit of collaboration. As of 2023, 94 have attended the MHCD Program, with 43 receiving scholarships through the HBS Club of Buffalo/Dean Rech Fellowship. As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the healthcare sector in Western New York, the HBS Club of Buffalo offered scholarships in the spring of 2013 to the Emerging Issues in Healthcare program at HBS. Scholarship recipients included the presidents of Kaleida Health, Roswell Park, ECMC, Catholic Health, and NFMMC; the presidents of the region’s three major health insurance companies; the Dean of the UB Medical School; and the President of the John R. Oishei Foundation.

The Healthcare Management Program

In 2013, the Club launched a Healthcare Management Program to promote the exchange of ideas and experiences among hospital staff. The program’s moderators were selected from graduates of HBS’s Managing Health Care Delivery program. Each session has seen strong participation from local hospitals and health insurance providers, reflecting the region’s ongoing commitment to collaborative healthcare leadership. This program creates space for dialogue among hospital and health insurance professionals, continuing to strengthen Buffalo’s unified approach to healthcare leadership.

The Future

The HBS Club of Buffalo plans to continue offering its management programs in support of both for-profit and nonprofit organizations across the Buffalo region. The Club will also continue to provide scholarships to local nonprofit leaders to attend HBS executive education offerings.

Historical Moderators

The strength of the Harvard Business School Club of Buffalo’s educational programs lies in the dedication and expertise of our volunteer moderators. Many have served the Club for over 20 years, offering not only continuity but also a deep well of knowledge and experience. A number of moderators have even returned after retirement, continuing their commitment to cultivating leadership in our community, a testament to their belief in the power of case-based learning and community engagement.

Two of our moderators have gone on to help launch similar programs in other cities, including Charlotte and San Diego, further extending the impact of our work.

Below is a growing list of moderators who have made meaningful contributions to our core programs: the Management Development Program, Nonprofit Management Program, and Healthcare Management Program.

Historical MDP Managers