Published June 12, 2023
The School of Management has named its Nonprofit Board Fellowship in honor of the late Jordan A. Daniels, MBA ’22. The program is now known as the Jordan A. Daniels Nonprofit Board Fellowship.
In her time as a Nonprofit Board Fellow, Daniels served on the board of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo. She also supported the city of Buffalo’s Office of Diversity, Opportunity and Inclusion in her role as a UB Social Impact Fellow, and also worked with Habitat for Humanity and as a graduate assistant in the School of Management’s Center for Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness (CLOE).
“Jordan’s contagious enthusiasm had a profound effect on everyone she met,” says Carrie Gardner, director of internships and experiential learning in the School of Management. “She impressed others with her ability to take risks and put herself in new and, at times, uncomfortable situations — all in the name of growth and service. She was funny, smart and caring — all qualities we want in our students.”
The Jordan A. Daniels Nonprofit Board Fellowship introduces MBA students to the intrinsic value of board service through a foundational curriculum that blends the concepts of board governance, servant leadership, and diversity and inclusion with an academic year of service as non-voting board members with local nonprofit organizations.
The fellows attend monthly board meetings and committee meetings, and are involved in projects that make a direct impact on their organizations. The program is a collaboration between the school’s Career Resource Center and CLOE.
“I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this honor, this privilege,” said Janessa Daniels, Jordan’s mother and UB’s senior associate director of financial aid, at a recent dedication ceremony. “For Jordan it was faith, family and community, and her legacy must be continued. As a member of the UB community I am overwhelmed with the support, love and prayers people have shown us over the last few months.”
The entire UB community was shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of Jordan; her sister, Jensen; and her father, Jonathan Daniels, in a house fire last July. Jonathan served as associate director of admissions in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.