Ksiazek Named to SUNY Fellowship

Kristin “Kricky” Ksiazek, M.P.A. ’13, has been selected to serve as a 2026-27 fellow in the SUNY Civil Discourse and Civic Education and Engagement Fellows Program.

Ksiazek, a civic researcher and High Road Program Coordinator with the Cornell University ILR Buffalo Co-Lab, was one of 12 fellows selected after multiple rounds of review that included nearly 200 applications from across the SUNY system. 

“I am honored to have been selected as a fellow,” Ksiazek said. “Civic education means learning and then practicing how to listen across differences, how to raise questions – especially with humility, and how to speak with the understanding that your words carry responsibility. Especially today, civil discourse is essential to a democratic society. As I know, I am not alone in that belief. I hope to convene colleagues who are doing similar work and to create and share resources across the SUNY network that support our efforts in building the type of society that recognizes and strives for the common good.”

Now in its third year, the SUNY Civil Discourse and Civic Education and Engagement Fellows Program is envisioned to support the SUNY General Education Framework and other curricular and co-curricular matters related to civic education. The fellows will develop individual projects, assist SUNY faculty and staff with the Fall 2026 implementation of the new Civic Discourse core competency in the framework and provide consultations to campuses.

Ksiazek has published research on the social-sector labor market, Indigenous communities in Western New York, workplace ownership models and Black women’s experiences in the workplace in Buffalo-Niagara. 

For the past five years, Ksiazek has directed the High Road Buffalo program, a longstanding engaged-learning initiative that connects Cornell and SUNY Buffalo State University undergraduates with community organizations in Western New York. She prepares the student fellows through the pre-course curriculum and supports them throughout the eight-week program. She also assists the community partners and ensures that both the students and the organizations have meaningful engagement. 

“Kricky has devoted herself entirely to community-engaged learning,” said Cathy Creighton, director of the Buffalo Co-Lab. “She’s deeply embedded in the Western New York community, and she is deeply committed to the students. 

“This fellowship is a great opportunity for Kricky, as well as the ILR School, as we continue to bond with the SUNY Chancellor and the SUNY system.”