Common Ground: Building Buffalo Niagara's Next Generation of Community Stewards
Common Ground represents a pivotal moment for our region’s future. As Buffalo Niagara stands at the threshold of a generational shift in community leadership, we recognize the critical need to bridge the gap between established leaders and emerging voices who will shape our community’s tomorrow. Aleron, in partnership with Leadership Buffalo, founded this initiative.
Why We Started This Initiative
Our region faces a unique challenge: how do we ensure continuity of purpose, vision, and stewardship as longtime community leaders transition their roles to a new generation? The answer lies in creating intentional spaces for connection, mentorship, and collaborative planning.
Common Ground was born from the understanding that effective community leadership doesn’t happen by accident. It requires deliberate cultivation, thoughtful succession planning, and meaningful dialogue between those who have guided our community and those ready to carry the torch forward.
What We’re Building Together
Through a series of four foundational conversations, we’re exploring the essential questions that will define our region’s leadership landscape:
What does community leadership and stewardship truly mean in Buffalo Niagara today?
How can we navigate the generational transition while preserving institutional knowledge and vision?
What will motivate emerging leaders to step up and take ownership of our community’s future?
How do we build sustainable systems for developing and supporting new community stewards?
An Invitation to Shape Our Future
This initiative is more than a series of events—it’s a commitment to ensuring that Buffalo Niagara’s legacy of community engagement continues to thrive. Whether you’re an established leader with decades of experience or an emerging voice eager to make your mark, Common Ground offers an exceptional opportunity to contribute to our region’s development, growth, and progression.
Together, we’re not just planning for stewardship transition; we’re actively creating the collaborative foundation that will drive our community forward for generations to come.
Our four facilitated breakout discussions sparked some of the most candid and energetic conversations of the series. Each group surfaced concrete ideas:
- Cultivating Interest (Sam Hill & Hadar Borden) — Meeting people where they are through personal invitations and grassroots outreach, and helping more people see themselves as part of this work, regardless of background.
- Information Access (Thea Pecht & Scott Stenclik) — A centralized, easy to use hub that brings opportunities, organizations, and entry points together in one place.
- Mentorship (Christine Stolzenburg & Peter Petrella) — Models that are structured yet flexible, that remove barriers of time and access, and that extend beyond the workplace toward long term development and sponsorship.
- Leadership Development (Morgan Hardy & Jasmine Foster) — Practical preparation in governance and financial literacy, along with clearer, better supported on ramps into stewardship roles.
Want a say in what Common Ground becomes? Pick a pillar and join the committee today.
Join the Community
If you would like to be added to our email list and/or have general questions or comments, please click below.
Common Ground 10/20/26 Event Summary:
On October 20, Aleron and Leadership Buffalo welcomed a full room to the Buffalo Museum of Science for our fourth Common Ground convening and our first ever morning event. Longtime supporters and many new faces came together around one shared idea: just like companies, communities go through generational succession, and Buffalo Niagara has to prepare for it with intention.
When an earlier session was billed as the last, attendees made it clear they wanted these conversations to continue. They will. This event marked the next step: launching community working groups that will turn what we’ve heard over the past year into action.
Our Mission
Common Ground ensures Western New York’s community leadership and stewardship never skip a generation. We connect established leaders with emerging voices, inspire service, foster mentorship and remove barriers to involvement. By making succession intentional, we help build a region that stays inclusive, prosperous and prepared to thrive for generations.
Meet the Advisory Council
- Hadar Borden — Director, Startup Collab, University at Buffalo
- Jasmine Foster — Program & Marketing Manager, Leadership Buffalo
- Morgan Hardy — Chief Executive Officer, Leadership Buffalo
- Sam Hill — Vice President of People, Culture & Operations, The John R. Oishei Foundation
- Thea Pecht — Senior Vice President, M&T Bank
- Pete Petrella — President, TalentRise
- Scott Stenclik — Chief Executive Officer, Aleron
- Christine Stolzenburg — Audit Principal, Withum
- Dr. Steve Turkovich — President, Golisano Children’s Hospital of Buffalo
Four Pillars, Four Working Groups
Cultivating Interest | Led by Hadar Borden and Sam Hill Sparking engagement among people not traditionally connected to leadership or stewardship, so everyone in our community feels welcome to ask, “Why not me?”
Information Access | Led by Thea Pecht and Scott Stenclik Building a clear, central way for people to find where nonprofits and community organizations need help, from junior committees to board seats.
Mentorship | Led by Christine Stolzenburg and Pete Petrella Moving beyond one-off mentoring to an intentional, accessible model, both formal and informal, that fits real schedules and includes sponsorship.
Leadership Development | Led by Morgan Hardy and Jasmine Foster Preparing stewards before they step into leadership roles, with pathways for every kind of leader at every stage of their career.
What We Heard
Attendees brought ideas that will shape each working group:
- Reach young people early, starting as young as middle school, through hands-on exposure to careers and leaders
- Meet people where they are, and put communities that have been left out first
- Make engagement a shared, fun experience you do with friends, family and coworkers
- Tell stories that help the next generation see their own path reflected in today’s leaders
- Support neighborhood and small business leaders who have the energy and ideas but need infrastructure
- Break down silos between organizations, not just between individuals
- Help the community navigate the uncertainty that AI is bringing to work and life
A Conversation with Jenna Kavanaugh
On her second day as President & CEO of Invest Buffalo Niagara, Jenna Kavanaugh joined Dan Miner of the 43North Foundation for a moderated conversation about her journey and the region’s future. A Southtowns native and English literature major, Jenna credited an internship that grew into a career and the opportunities she found by staying in Buffalo.
Her view of the region’s path forward is regional and collaborative: Buffalo Niagara has remarkable assets, but they become competitive only when organizations work together and invest in local talent. Her advice to rising leaders was simple: be curious about your community, get involved, do something that makes you uncomfortable, and take the leap even when it doesn’t make sense on paper.
Get Involved
Ready to make a difference? Four committees are forming now. Sign up for the one that fits your passion and bring your ideas, your skills and your network.
- Join a committee: Common Ground Committee Sign Up Form – Fill out form
- Build the army: Share Common Ground on LinkedIn and invite three people to our next convening
Resources
Community Commons is a comprehensive platform for community development resources.