VOL 27 ISSUE 39, October 5, 2026
Main caption: Delaware North hosted University at Buffalo (UB) MBA students from its Corporate Champions Program on Sept. 18 for a site visit of corporate headquarters, The Westin Buffalo and Patina 250. Pictured with UB students and their instructor (front row, left to right) are Skyler Fear, senior accountant; Jocelyn Bustamante, director of IT service delivery; Jennifer Chinana, director of human resources compliance; Catherine Sheedy, director of strategy; and Brandon Pettit, accounting analyst.
For the past several years, Delaware North has served as a Corporate Champion for the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Management, a program that connects top organizations in Buffalo and Rochester with first-semester MBA students to help strengthen their professional networks and expose them to real-world business environments.
Senior Accountant Brandon Pettit led the effort to host UB students Sept. 18 at Delaware North’s corporate headquarters in Buffalo. The site visit included a tour of the corporate office, The Westin Buffalo, lunch at Patina 250 and a panel discussion featuring leaders from technology, human resources and strategy.
Panelists Jocelyn Bustamante, director of IT service delivery; Jennifer Chinana, director of human resources compliance; and Catherine Sheedy, director of strategy, shared insights from their career journeys and discussed their perspectives on the qualities of effective leadership.
“As a Buffalo-based company, we’re excited to engage with local MBA students and give them a firsthand look at how our business operates,” Pettit said. “By connecting students with leaders across the organization, we hope to create an enriching learning experience that helps them build relationships and better understand potential career opportunities.”
Throughout the semester, MBA students also participated in one-on-one interviews with company leaders to learn more about their careers and professional experiences.
The Delaware North leaders who volunteered for student interviews included:
- Ana Rodriguez, executive vice president and chief human resources officer
- Jamie Obletz, executive vice president and chief operating officer
- Catherine Leitner, chief marketing officer
- Tom Barney, president of Sportservice
- Amy Duncan-Menendez, vice president of talent and organizational development
- Gretta Miles, vice president of global accounting services and controller
- Melissa Cendrowski, vice president of finance for Sportservice
In addition to participating in the Corporate Champions program, accounting team members from corporate headquarters attended UB’s Meet the Professionals Night last month, where they spoke with students about career paths, the company and potential employment opportunities.
