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From Green Spaces to Leadership: Voices of Change in WNY

Background from left to right: red, then a vertical, thick white stripe in the middle, then black. from left to right: WN logo in the top corner, "FROM GREEN SPACES TO LEADERSHIP:" in white text and "VOICES OF CHANGE IN WNY #292" in black text over the red, then photos of the guests placed throughout the image.

On this episode of What’s Next? We hear from Dr. Jennifer Roberts, a Buffalo native and University of Maryland professor, about her BET in FLO program connecting East Side teens to green spaces and her upcoming book on Buffalo’s history and future. The team also visits Providence Farm Collective for a tour of their site. And we close with Duncan Kirkwood, Director of the Center for Resiliency, who previews his upcoming Student Leadership Conference at Villa Maria College.

What's Next? 2025
Latest Episodes
  • On this episode of What’s Next?, we explore two ways Western New York communities are responding to need and opportunity. We are joined by Jennifer Rizzo Choi, Executive Director of the International Institute of Buffalo, and Alicia Stark of Child and Family Services.
  • Mayor elect Sean Ryan begins building his new administration, and co-chairs Dr. Marie Cannon and Trini Ross join us to discuss the work behind the transition. We explore the key issues shaping Buffalo’s future, including housing, public safety, and financial stability, and how Ryan’s vision aims to address long standing inequities with fresh, community driven solutions.
  • This week on What’s Next? we highlight two organizations strengthening connection, access, and belonging across Western New York: Grassroots Gardens Western New York and Niagara Pride.
  • Buffalo’s East Side is growing, creating, and healing in ways that deserve the spotlight. On this episode of What’s Next?, we explore two community-driven forces shaping that future.
  • On this episode of What’s Next? we speak with Terry Abrams, curator at the Niagara History Center, about the often-overlooked consequences of the Erie Canal on the Haudenosaunee people. Through his exhibit and public talks, Abrams invites audiences to reconsider a familiar chapter in American history and confront the deeper, more complex legacy of the Erie Canal.
  • On this episode of What’s Next? we speak with Dr. LaGarrett King following his “Black Boy Joy, Black Girl Magic” conference, which brought together nearly two hundred attendees to examine the history of Black childhoods and the creativity and resilience of Black youth.
  • On this episode of What’s Next? we sit down with Tom Ulbrich, President and CEO of Goodwill of Western New York, and author Megan Gorman about her latest book, All the President’s Money.
  • In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we reflect on the life of Ely S. Parker, Tonawanda Seneca leader, engineer, and Civil War officer who helped draft the surrender at Appomattox.
  • We return to the Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology (BCAT) for part two of our tour. We hear contributor Ekua Mends-Aidoo, high school senior Lillyan Goines, former student Teira Newell, adult learner Giselle Akal, and Senior Program Director Charisma DuBois.
  • On this episode of What’s Next?, we explore how cooperative businesses are driving change in Western New York. Jay Moran speaks with Andrew Delmonte, Executive Director of Cooperation Buffalo, and Terra Dumas of Farmer Pirates Compost.