Hope in Leadership

As an accomplished executive leading global teams, Ron C. Hamilton has observed that successful leaders have well-developed soft skills, which are necessary to bring diverse teams of people together toward common goals.

“Skilled leaders have the ability to collaborate and communicate with different groups of people to get the best solutions,” explains Hamilton. “They can read the environment and adjust accordingly. You might be born with leadership attributes and not know it until those skills are developed through education and mentorship.”

Those are opportunities Hamilton himself almost didn’t get. 

“My parents had not gone to university,” says Hamilton. “So when I shared with people in my neighborhood and faith community that I wanted to go to college, I was met with skepticism and told it wouldn’t be an option for me. I didn’t want that to be my truth. That’s what fueled me to find the resources I needed at UB. Financing should never be a barrier to someone having a good academic experience.” 

That’s why Hamilton chose to endow the Ron C. HOPE (Harnessing Opportunity, Potential, and Equity) Fellowship in Business Leadership—pivotal to the School of Management and the Boldly Buffalo campaign—to be awarded annually to an MBA student from an underrepresented community who is committed to following a leadership track. The fellowship recipient will be chosen by the School of Management dean in partnership with the managing director of UB’s innovative LeaderCORE™, a personal and professional leadership program.  

 “The willingness of alumni like Ron to invest in students’ growth—whether through mentorship, financial support, or career networking—can offer a sense of hope and motivation to students,” says Marla Kameny, faculty program director for LeaderCORE. “It reinforces the idea that the investment they are making in their own education here at UB will be supported and nurtured by those who have walked the same path before them.” 

Hamilton believes that success takes preparation, luck and help from others; no one arrives to a position on their own. But for a young person to ascend into a leadership role, they need to feel invited, welcomed and heard.

“Leadership is more than just a title,” says Hamilton. “It’s a way to drive change in any arena. As we talk about diversity and inclusion, we need leaders capable of creating systems that make things better. When people feel like they belong, they bring their best ideas to the table. Great innovation and resilience happen when we encourage this kind of behavior and interaction. My hope is for more such leaders to emerge from UB.” 

Hamilton’s generosity extends to his time as well. He serves on the leadership roundtable at the Center for Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness (CLOE), is a member of the School of Management Dean’s Advisory Council and is a frequent speaker at student events. He says his motivations to remain so involved are not only the cultural awareness and leadership skills he’s seeing in current MBA students, but also the belief that his UB education truly prepared him to lead.

“I was seeing the progress UB was making in the national rankings, all the changes on campus, and said, ‘I really need to come back and get involved,’” he explains. “CLOE reached out to me for a speaking engagement, and I stuck with it. I credit UB with equipping me to contribute to society—I felt well prepared.” 

Hamilton’s hope for the HOPE Fellowship is that chosen students will one day pay it forward themselves, giving future scholars the opportunities he is grateful to have experienced at UB.