Educational Lunch

Are you looking to advance your project management career? Join us for an insightful Virtual Lunch session presented by PMI Buffalo's very own Pauline McKeown, VP of Certification Training, where we'll dive into the key PMI (Project Management Institute) certifications and the requirements to earn them. Whether you're aiming for the PMP® (Project Management Professional), CAPM® (Certified Associate in Project Management), or other PMI credentials, this session will guide you through the steps to certification, eligibility criteria, and training opportunities the Buffalo Chapter offers to ensure your success.

Join us to discuss the role of artificial intelligence in project management, highlighting its potential to enhance productivity and facilitate informed decision-making.

Join us for an exciting day of networking and earning PDUs!  The day will start with keynote speaker Spencer Horn presenting "Strengthening Your Strengths" followed by Nirmayee Dighe discussing how AI is reshaping analytics and tech jobs.  The afternoon will include a speaker panel discussing the difficulties of job hunting.  Our final speaker, Jeff Manhardt, will give an enthralling AI presention on how to leverage mental models to empower you to build highly effective agentic automation that will anticipate needs and execute complex tasks autonomously.

Breakfast and Networking - 1.0 Business Acumen

Stronger Than Your Strengths: The Hidden Key to Sustainable Project Leadership - 2.0 Power Skills

Is AI Replacing Tech Jobs? - 1.25 Ways of Working

Lunch and Networking with Recruiters - 0.75 Business Acumen

Issues Faced by PM's in Today's Job Market - 1.0 Business Acumen

Citizen Intelligence – Using Mental Models for Agentic Automation - 2.0 Ways of Working

Non-members $255

Members $235 (a $20 discount will be applied once you log in)

Students $175 reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for coupon code

Spencer Horn	Nirmayee (Nemo) Dighe	Jeff Mandhardt

Join us for an exciting lunchtime virtual presentation on how Agile has reshaped the way organizations deliver work - but what does that mean for today’s project management professional?

In this session, we explore the evolution of the PM role from traditional delivery oversight to strategic value leadership. Attendees will learn how Agile complements core PM disciplines, how hybrid delivery models are redefining governance, and what skills are essential to remain relevant in a rapidly changing environment.

Jake Housman is a Senior Director at Boston Consulting Group based in Boston, where he leads internal product teams and oversees business intelligence and supplier management capabilities within Operations. Over the past decade at BCG, he has held a range of transformation and product leadership roles, driving operational excellence and building scalable, technology-enabled capabilities that support the firm’s global priorities.

Prior to joining BCG, Jake worked in management and IT consulting, advising organizations on strategy, systems, and execution. In addition to his leadership role at BCG, he has taught Agile software development at Northeastern University in the graduate school of Engineering for the past six years, equipping the next generation of technology leaders with practical, outcome-oriented delivery skills. 

Google Meet login information:

From Project Manager to Value Leader: Thriving in an Agile World
Friday, April 3 · 11:45am – 12:15pm
Time zone: America/New_York
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/ezo-kxoq-soq
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 904-580-8229‬ PIN: ‪585 504 956‬#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/ezo-kxoq-soq?pin=8865654283106

Join us for a virtual lunch with our very own Michael Fiandalo to discuss best practices setting up a PMO. 

This presentation outlines an approach to building and evolving a Project Management Office by repositioning the PMO from a delivery function to a strategic enabler of enterprise value. It emphasizes that effective PMOs are intentionally designed around organizational strategy, culture, and decision‑making needs and not imposed as one‑size‑fits‑all structures. Leveraging the PMI PMO Global Alliance Value‑Ring (Flywheel) framework, he illustrates how PMOs can mature through continuous cycles of strategic alignment, service design, execution, measurement, and value realization. Key themes include establishing the ePMO as the bridge between strategy and execution, prioritizing services that matter most to leadership, measuring outcomes rather than activity, and building a resilient, customer‑centric PMO that adapts over time while enabling data‑driven executive decision‑making.

Michael V. Fiandalo, PhD, MBA, PMP, PfMP, PMI‑PMOCP, PMO‑BP is the Associate Vice President of the Enterprise Project Management Office (ePMO) at Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH). He leads an ePMO that manages the strategic portfolio, ensuring strategic alignment, and value realization. His leadership approach is grounded in positioning the ePMO as a strategic partner that bridges organizational strategy and execution in direct support of ARH’s mission to improve health and promote the well‑being of the people in central Appalachia in partnership with ARH communities. He is an active contributor to the project management profession; he served as a 2025 PMI PMO Global Alliance Judge and served in director roles within the PMI Buffalo and Rochester Chapters. His work emphasizes the design of modern, patient care‑focused ePMO that continuously adapt, leverages data‑driven insights, and enables informed executive decision‑making in support of ARH's strategy and mission.

Join Project Managers Across North America 

Our chapter is partnering with PMI chapters across North America for a one-day virtual Professional Development Day designed specifically for project professionals.
✔ Learn from top speakers
✔ Connect with peers across industries
✔ Earn valuable PDUs
✔ Get Access to Content for 13 PDUs Over 3 Months

Our PMI Professional Development Day will feature outstanding speakers covering topics such as:
• AI and the future of project management
• Leadership in complex projects
• Strategic thinking for project leaders
• Communication and stakeholder influence

NOTE: Please register only through the chapter events calendar.   Registration ends Sunday, June 14 at 3pm.  

You will be emailed with the login information for this event.   

Click on the link below for more information.  

Airmeet: Rising Above the Noise

Join us for our Fall Professional Development Day and earn 8.25 PDUs!  A continental breakfast will be served, including pastries, gluten-free pastries, coffee and tea.  Lunch will be buffet style and will include dessert.  

Registration is now OPEN!  

♦ Keynote & Workshop

We are excited to welcome Darren Mann as our keynote speaker.  He will lead an engaging workshop titled: Rise Above Routine: Embracing Life Beyond Your Comfort Zone.

Bio: Darren Mann is a keynote speaker, leadership coach, trainer, and John Maxwell Certified Coach, Speaker & Trainer who helps leaders and teams build the confidence, communication skills, and resilience needed to thrive in today's workplace. With more than 15 years of experience leading complex, high-risk initiatives across higher education, healthcare, insurance, and the public sector, Darren brings practical leadership experience and actionable strategies to every presentation.

A former senior project management leader, Darren has led multimillion-dollar projects, developed high-performing teams, and helped organizations strengthen collaboration, navigate change, and improve results. He has delivered keynote presentations, workshops, and leadership training for organizations including Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Simon Fraser University, Los Angeles Pacific University, YMCA BC, McKay CEO Forums, and more than 10 Project Management Institute (PMI) chapters across North America.

Known for his engaging storytelling, practical leadership tools, and interactive presentation style, Darren equips audiences to lead with greater confidence, embrace change, overcome fear, and build stronger relationships. Whether speaking on leadership, resilience, courageous communication, or high-performing teams, he inspires people to move beyond their comfort zones, take meaningful action, and rise above routine to achieve lasting personal and professional growth.

Presentation: This workshop challenges project professionals to break out of predictability, reframe fear as a catalyst for growth, and strengthen courageous leadership habits. Participants will gain practical tools to enhance confidence, communication, and influence through change.

Participants will learn to:

1. Identify routines and limiting beliefs that hold them back from reaching their potential.
2. Reframe failure and setbacks as opportunities for growth and resilience.
3. Develop strategies to step beyond their comfort zones with confidence.
4. Build daily habits that create lasting leadership growth and meaningful results.

♦ Afternoon Speakers

Two of our chapter members, Arthur Dawn and Nemo Dighe, will present in the afternoon.

Bio: Arthur Dawn is a Project Management Professional (PMP) with over seven years of experience leading technology projects across banking, marketing and technology industries.Throughout his career, Arthur has led complex technology implementations, cloud migrations, infrastructure modernization, and PMO governance initiatives, working with cross-functional teams and executive stakeholders to deliver successful business outcomes. Passionate about practical project management techniques, he brings a blend of technical expertise and hands-on leadership experience to his work. 

Presentation: Visualization and Graphs: Extra Tools to For Project Management

In his presentation, Visualization and Graphs: Extra Tools for Project Management, Arthur will explore how visual tools  and diagrams can help project managers simplify complexity, communicate more effectively, and improve project planning, collaboration, and decision-making. 

Bio: Nirmayee “Nemo” Dighe is a Data & AI Strategy expert passionate about translating technology into human-centered impact. From the initial data strategy to full-scale deployment, she gets to be part of every step, solving real-world problems and making a tangible impact on businesses. In her current role, Nemo leads Data & AI initiatives where she has designed self-service analytics tools, conducted AI readiness assessments, and guided cross-functional teams through digital transformation. Her focus is on helping organizations leverage data in smarter ways to increase efficiency, innovate, and stay ahead in today’s fast-paced world.

Presentation: Why AI Investment Isn't Matching AI Adoption
This presentation examines why organizations can invest heavily in AI yet struggle to achieve sustained adoption and measurable business value, particularly in legacy financial institutions. The talk identifies five common causes of the AI adoption gap:

  - Starting with technology rather than business problems
  - Lacking a shared business language
  - Misalignment between business and technology teams
  - Insufficient data and governance foundations
  - Treating adoption as a final rollout activity

It then introduces a practical five-step framework: build pain-point literacy, create a business-language taxonomy, assign ownership of the business-to-technology translation layer, establish an AI-capable operating foundation, and design trust-based adoption from the beginning. You will leave with a practical approach to connect AI investments to clear workflows, accountable decisions, reliable information, and meaningful human participation.

♦ Project of the Year Awards

We will close the day with the Project of the Year awards and presentations from the winners.