Congratulations to the following individuals from Kaleida Health who were presented with 2026 Buffalo Business Impact Awards:
Introducing the 2026 Impact Awards winners
By Michelle Cioci Adams – Editor-in-Chief, Buffalo Business First
Dec 11, 2025
The winners of the 2026 Impact Awards stand out as champions of inclusion and belonging in their workplaces and in the community.
Twenty individuals will be celebrated for that vital work in Western New York at a Feb. 12 dinner at Salvatore's Italian Gardens. They were chosen from nearly 80 nominations. (For information on the awards event, click here.)
The Impact Awards are an evolution of the IDEA (Inclusion Diversity Equity Awareness) Awards, which Buffalo Business First has been presenting since 2019. The event is sponsored by platinum sponsor M&T Bank.
The 2026 Impact Awards winners
- Antoinette Amos, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, Buffalo Public Schools
- Lisa Catanese, director of human resources, West Herr Automotive Group
- David Comstock, vice president, scrum master, M&T Bank
- Roxanne Cuebas, program officer, Health Foundation for Western and Central New York
- Rahsaan DeLain, vice president corporate culture, Evergreen Health
- Eric Deutsch, owner and principal mediator, the Mediation Offices of Eric A. Deutsch
- Kathryn Diebold, vice president of behavioral health and wellness, Jewish Family Services of Western New York
- Elizabeth Duncan, director, day and employment services, People Inc.
- Leonard Egede, chair, Department of Medicine, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; president and CEO, UBMD Internal Medicine
- James Giles, head of personnel, Viridi
- Mark Glasgow, director of engagement and strategic insights, Clementine Gold Group
- Shacarah Henry, director of health equity and impact, Horizon Corps.
- Athena Howk, community engagement coordinator, Child Care Resource Network
- Maya Meredith, DEI engagement and content creator, Kaleida Health
- Oswaldo Mestre Jr., executive director of citizen services, City of Buffalo
- Miguel Rodriguez, director of community standards and student advocacy, Daemen University
- Alexa and Edreys Wajed, co-founders, Eat Off Art
- A. Tyshaun Wilson, dean, Bryant and Stratton College
- Rhonda Wilson, founder and president, Buffalo Black Nurses Inc.
- Sesha Yalamanchili, president and founder, On the Mark Consulting
Introducing the 2026 Impact Awards winners (subscription required)