Congratulations to our Volunteer of the Quarter for Q2 2025 - Pauline McKeown! 

It’s with great excitement that we announce Pauline McKeown, Vice President of Training & Certification, as our Volunteer of the Quarter for Q2!

Pauline has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication, and a profound commitment to the growth and success of our organization and its members. From advancing education and training initiatives to promoting membership growth and community outreach, her contributions have had a lasting impact.

Two standout moments from this quarter include:

• Key Speaker at the Women in Tech Event: Pauline captivated the audience with her authenticity and expertise, using her platform to elevate women in technology. Her message was both empowering and actionable, leaving a lasting impression on attendees and reinforcing our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

• Featured Guest on a Professional Podcast: In a compelling episode focused on PMI Buffalo and her personal journey, Pauline shared her path with honesty and encouragement. Her story resonated deeply with listeners, offering both inspiration and practical guidance for those looking to carve out their own professional journeys.

Beyond these events, Pauline has been instrumental in mentoring emerging professionals, connecting individuals with board members and resources, and enhancing our social media presence with thoughtful, strategic content. Her ability to engage meaningfully with others and foster growth at every level is truly remarkable. And we can’t forget—her sensational fashion sense and kind, genuine nature make her a truly lovely person to work with.

Please join us in congratulating Pauline on this well-deserved recognition. We are truly grateful for all she brings to the team and the community we serve!

As we wind down from our annual Volunteer Appreciation Event, it’s time to recognize those who’ve gone above and beyond for PMI Buffalo. We’re thrilled to announce the winner for Volunteer of the Year — individuals who exemplify dedication, leadership, and service to our chapter.

Nominees:

Kelli Wilson

Kelli is excellent at her role. She has worked extremely hard to increase the numbers of volunteers for PMI Buffalo. She has provided leadership to her own team to be sure that new volunteers are welcomed and introduced to what is needed. Kelli lives up to the professionalism that is expected from PMI Buffalo.

Dan Augustynek

Over the past year, Dan has shown exceptional dedication, compassion, and leadership in his role as Interim President. By taking ont his important position during a crucial time for the chapter in2 023 and throughout 2024, Dan's commitment has been essential in ensuring the chapter's continuity. During his tenure, he served as a reliable source of support for other volunteer leaders. His communications kept chapter leaders engaged and informed. He prepared and facilitated productive board and annual planning meetings that led to actionable outcomes, fostering open dialogue during strategic discussions. He guided volunteer leaders in discussions that enabled effective decision-making. His strong communication skills, kind characters, and collaborative spirit have made an incredible contribution to our chapter's volunteer efforts.

JoAnn Boehm

JoAnn worked very hard to rebuilt our Marketing team. She revived the Ambassador program, beautified and streamlined the newsletter, and brought on a Director of Marketing who now handles product orders and gains sponsorships. In addition to all of that, JoAnn acted as guide to our board through sucessful transition planning since a majority of our board turned over as terms were completed in 2024. JoAnn is an endless resource and has a great passion for the chapter.

2024 Volunteer of the Year: Kelli Wilson!

We’re thrilled to announce Kelli Wilson as our 2024 Volunteer of the Year! As Vice President of Membership & Volunteers, Kelli has made a remarkable impact through her dedication and unwavering focus on what matters most—our members. In 2024, she led a strategic membership drive and introduced a fully automated engagement lifecycle, ensuring that new members felt welcomed, renewals were appreciated, certifications like PMPs were celebrated, and timely renewal reminders were sent. Kelli also spearheaded a refresh of our volunteer hub website, launched our Voice of the Customer survey, and crafted a revised volunteer roadmap that clarified expectations and accelerated onboarding. Her leadership has significantly strengthened both our membership and volunteer experience, and we’re proud to recognize all she has accomplished.

Please join us in congratulating Kelli on this well-deserved honor!

Volunteer of the Quarter (Q1 2025): Jay VanMarter!

We're thrilled to recognize Jay VanMarter, our incredible VP of Membership, as our Volunteer of the Quarter! From day one, Jay brought remarkable energy, organization, and collaboration to every aspect of his work. He delivered insightful analytics to the MarCom team, which greatly improved our data-driven outreach efforts. He also streamlined the membership process, making onboarding smoother and more engaging—something our new volunteers experienced firsthand. One of his most notable achievements was leading the planning of our Annual Volunteer Gala, turning it into a truly memorable event through his thoughtful leadership and attention to detail.

Jay’s dedication, leadership, and team-first spirit have strengthened our chapter in so many ways. Please join us in congratulating him on this well-deserved honor!

Congrats to our Q4 2024 Volunteer of the Quarter Winners Katie Dieter and Tom Wojcik

The duo work together on the Professional Development team and made significant contributions to the success of the Fall Professional Development Days (PDD). Katie took on responsibility for the PDD even before her official term began, with our first joint virtual PDD and achieved a successful, unique, and profitable event. Tom played a crucial role as the point of contact with David Barrett, effectively managing communication and coordination with the Professional Development and Marketing & Communications teams.

A huge hurrah for our Volunteer of the Quarter for Q3 2024: JoAnn Boehm!

Steady, generous, and relentlessly helpful. JoAnn provided ongoing support to the chapter and board, guided incoming VPs through their transitions, and served as a go-to source for clear processes and procedures. The kind of consistency that keeps everything running.

Honorable Mention — Q3: Art Dawn

Art launched our Career Navigator and Certification Roadmap, giving members a practical path to grow skills and confidence. Clear tools, real momentum.

Congratulations to the Spring PDD committee for Q2 2024!

Congratulations to Sue Czyrny, Katie Dieter, JoAnn Boehm, Daniel Culross, Melissa Wallace, and Lou Mott, our Volunteer of the Quarter team for Q2 2024!

Their Spring Professional Development Day (PDD) drew strong turnout, earned high marks for the venue, speaker, and topic, and delivered solid financial results. Thank you for the planning, coordination, day-of execution, and thorough follow-through that made it a win for our community.

Congratulations to our Volunteers of the Quarter Q1 2024: Melissa Sze and Angela Korczynski!

Melissa and Angela are a dynamic duo that make up our Finance team.  Our behind-the-scenes heroes overhauled the accounting side of the house. They cleaned up legacy entries, tightened reconciliations, updated processes and documentation, and got our reports crisp and timely. The result: fewer headaches, faster closes, and real transparency.