Donna DeCarolis named 2025 Industry Leader Award winner
The Partnership
September 24, 2025
Blog Categories
The Buffalo Niagara Partnership is honored to recognize Donna DeCarolis as its 2025 Industry Leader Award winner. The recently retired president of National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation spent more than 40 years of service ascending through several different business areas within the company.
Donna has played an important role as a vocal advocate for customer affordability, energy reliability and the overall impact on New York’s ability to maintain its business competitiveness due to the state’s climate and decarbonization legislation. Her active presence in Albany identified real regional differences with policies that might work downstate but could have a harmful impact on upstate New Yorkers.
She has also been active in her support of the community, serving in leadership capacities on the boards of the Business Council of New York, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin Martin House Restoration Complex, Leadership Buffalo, Shea’s O’Connell Preservation Guild, the University at Buffalo’s School of Management, Buffalo Sabres Foundation, Niagara University and the African American Veteran’s Monument.
“We are proud to honor Donna with this year’s Industry Leader Award,” said BNP President & CEO Dottie Gallagher. “Throughout her time at National Fuel, Donna has been a tireless advocate for affordability, reliability and fairness in energy policy, ensuring that the voices of Western New Yorkers were heard in Albany. Her leadership, vision and deep commitment to our community have left a lasting mark on both the business landscape and the region as a whole.”
For playing such a vital role in the Buffalo Niagara region, she will be presented the award at our third annual Economic Development Summit on Oct. 9. The culmination event of the 2025 Industry Leaders Forum (ILF) schedule brings together member companies to strategize for the year ahead.
John Persons, CEO of Tops Friendly Markets parent company Northeast Grocery, was the inaugural winner of the Industry Leader Award. West Herr Auto Group President & CEO Scott Bieler received the award last year.
A look back at last year:
Related Posts
Grant Loomis named next CEO in planned leadership transition
The Buffalo Niagara Partnership announced that Grant Loomis has been promoted to President & Chief Operating Officer and will succeed Dottie Gallagher as Chief Executive Officer in June 2026.
Inside the room: What lawmakers told employers at BNP’s 2025 Policy Perspective
The BNP hosted Policy Perspective, a piece of the BNP’s annual Government Affairs series. The standing-room-only crowd heard from three of our region’s most influential lawmakers: Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, Senator April Baskin, and Senator Patrick Gallivan. The lawmakers spoke on a panel moderated by BNP Director of Government Affairs Josh Veronica.
Navigating risk and regulation: What financial and insurance leaders are watching
Buffalo Niagara’s financial and insurance sectors are facing a wave of change driven by federal policy shifts, volatile market conditions, and rising sustainability expectations. On June 12, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership hosted its 2025 Finance & Insurance Industry Leaders Forum (ILF) to examine how sector leaders are responding to new challenges and preparing for a more resilient, regulated future.
3 reasons why in-person networking matters for the next generation of leaders
Scrolling through LinkedIn can only get you so far.In today’s digital world, it is easy to assume that building your network can happen entirely online. But if you ask any experienced professional where their most valuable relationships started, chances are it was not over a screen—it was in person.BNP’s Young Professionals program was built on this idea. From our Tee Up For Networking event to our upcoming summer meetup, we’re creating moments that help early- and mid-career professionals connect in a more meaningful way.