THE GREAT 28

With his passion amplified, the former high school English teacher set his sights on the LIFTS program.

A member of the Great 28 cohort, Bielec admits that the program has been challenging— especially considering personal and professional responsibilities, including his new position as assistant principal at Cleveland Hill Middle School. “It has been hard work, but the people in my cohort have become some of my closest friends,” he said. “We help one another out.”

He also spoke highly of his professors, who have offered guidance with interviewing and finding leadership positions. “I have built great relationships with them, and I’ve found that they are there for me when I need them,” Bielec shared.

Looking ahead, he is eager to use the knowledge and skills developed in the program to continue growing in leadership positions.

“In the end, I really just want to help students,” he said. “I hope that in leadership, I am better suited to help more kids in a more meaningful way.”

Erin Weir

Erin Weir decided to pursue school leadership at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, just after the birth of her first child. “Entering motherhood while experiencing the constraints as an educator helped me finally envision my ‘why,’” she said. “I wanted to become a change agent and advocate for not only my son but all children.”

She chose the LIFTS program because of its unique cohort model and the opportunity to build lasting connections and friendships with like-minded individuals. “Many online options are available for leadership coursework; however, I wanted to build lasting connections and friendships with those committed to impactful leadership,” said Weir. She has done just that. She feels the program has given her a second family she looks forward to seeing every week in class. “I am grateful for the time we have spent diving deep, exploring not only who we are but the relevant topics that are pertinent to the areas of educational leadership in both a safe and brave space,” she said. “The dedicated professors in this program have brought the coursework to life.”

One of Weir’s most memorable moments in the program was spending her first semester participating in the summer “boot camp,” an intensive program that allows students to explore their core values and how those values drive leadership style. “It was the most introspective work I had ever done,” she said. “I am honored to have had the time to get to know my cohort, the professors, and most importantly, the time I took to get to know myself.”

After working as a speech-language pathologist in the Buffalo Public Schools for the past ten years, Weir recently accepted a position as the director of pupil personnel services in the Cheektowaga Central School District. She is thrilled to enter this leadership role with the lens of an empathetic communicator and therapist.

A leadership legacy continues and evolves

With Jacobson’s retirement in 2021 and Ramming’s in 2022, a new chapter of the program has begun. Upon reflection, both faculty members fondly remember the program’s beginning and evolution and the achievements of their students. “They’re my heroes, and the things that they’ve accomplished in their schools affect their teachers, which then affect their students,” said Jacobson. “It makes me feel like I have had some effect …That is what I am proudest of—the creation and the ongoing survival and development and growth of the LIFTS program.”

The retirements also offered a chance for a new wave of innovation.

As a trainer, educator, consultant and advocate, Erika McDowell was up for the challenge of serving as a faculty member in the program. McDowell, formerly the executive director of student support services in The School District of Philadelphia, joined GSE as a clinical associate professor of educational leadership and policy in the fall of 2022. She brought along her unique vision and philosophy to school leadership.

“I am a staunch equity practitioner. My goal is to give folks what they need to be successful,” she said. “I think every leader and every teacher comes to the work very differently, and it is my job to give you those skills and those tools that may be beneficial to you, and also give you that pedagogical and theoretical background to say, ‘OK, with these skills and who I am, how must I enact change in this district or in my environment so that all have a sense of love and belonging?’”

McDowell takes her role of supporting and guiding students seriously. Rather than waiting to discuss lofty ideas or problems of practice in class, McDowell’s students have her cellphone number, and she encourages them to use it when needing feedback or mentorship. Some students text to brainstorm rolling out a new policy or system at school. Others call to discuss elevating a concept from an assigned reading.

“I think, ‘How are the students? How are we supporting them?’ I think they are in a great place, but I want to continue that bubble of love, so they are getting what they need,” she said. Her students feel that love. “There have been many transitions in our personal lives, as well as this program. I am so thankful that Dr. Erika joined the team,” said Candace Dowdell. “She is definitely a change leader and an advocate for her students!”

Dowdell reports feeling assured that she chose the right university—largely because of McDowell’s arrival. “UB seems to be on an upward trajectory for change. have observed the various efforts to magnify the voices of the BIPOC population.

Representation matters, especially as a Black woman.”

While McDowell is excited and honored to support her students, she is also committed to taking a step back to assess both the field and the program. “We want to enhance the things that we are doing well, but we also sometimes need to course-correct based on shifts in time and shifts in what’s happening in our atmosphere,” she said. “I see the program everevolving, centering on our most beloved—the learners we are teaching. And we—the collective we, who is doing the work—must make sure our books and what we teach are reflective of the cultural and linguistic communities that we serve.”

After UB’s commencement ceremonies ended this spring, the LIFTS program kicked off another academic year and welcomed a new cohort.

At the same time, GSE faculty, staff and alumni have worked to put the finishing touches on a celebration taking place on July 13 in honor of the program’s 30th anniversary. “We have some good things in store. It is going to be a lovely large event,” said McDowell, who reports that she has been designated as the party’s emcee.

In addition to celebrating the program’s anniversary, the gathering will offer a space to commemorate Jacobson’s retirement after his 35-year career at UB—a celebration that was put on hold as a result of the pandemic.

Rosenblith looks forward to the festivities and the opportunity to honor the past, present and future of innovative school leadership programming at GSE.

“Hats off to Steve for what he did in creating this program and to all of the folks who carried it on throughout the years,” she said. “I’m also really looking forward to seeing where Erika and our other faculty take it. think that they are going to build on it. Thirty years becomes a point to reflect and say, ‘We’ve done a good job, and now how can we make it even better and make sure that we’re still attending to its original purpose?’ I think that it is really in good hands, and I look forward to seeing what the next 30 years look like.”

In addition to degree information for GSE alumni listed in Learn, we also include alumni credentials for the Advanced Certificate, as well as other GSE programs such as LIFTS (Leadership Initiative for Tomorrow’s Schools).