‘Accountabilibuddies’: How a chance meeting turned into a life-long friendship at UB and beyond

BY NICOLE MEHLMAN-DAVIDOW

For Ryan Taughrin, GSE’s assistant dean of enrollment management and director of admissions, EdM ’12, and Danielle Lewis, PhD ’23, postdoctoral associate in UB’s Department of Engineering Education, it was a chance meeting while working at a resource tent. UB’s opportunity to volunteer during the first week of classes brought them together, but it was a shared commitment to making the field of higher education more accessible that forged a lifelong friendship.

“I was a grad assistant working with new students and their families, and Danielle was working with what was formerly called undergraduate academies here at UB. We just so happened to be working at the same information tent, and we found we were both passionate about living learning communities and their benefits,” said Taughrin, currently enrolled in the higher ed PhD program. “We take it to a bit of an extreme, but when you find someone who aligns professionally and academically, it's important to cultivate that relationship.”

Fifteen years later, that chance meeting led to both Taughrin and Lewis collaborating to achieve their respective career goals, pursuing doctoral degrees and, most recently, becoming running partners.

Whether it’s running, research or work, Lewis and Taughrin have held each other accountable, pursuing the goals they had established for themselves. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they made sure to touch base virtually as much as possible.

“We were waking up at 5 a.m. and meeting on Zoom to hold each other accountable and make sure we were doing academic work at a time when our families didn’t need us,” said Lewis. “If one of us didn’t show up, the other one would call until that person was woken up.”

Lewis and Taughrin highlighted that having an “accountabilibuddy” who was in the thick of a similar journey to their own was key to getting through the hard times.

“Having someone who knows your history and can talk through the pros and cons, and things you haven’t even considered, is quite the strength to have,” said Taughrin.

Lewis echoed similar sentiments: “He has carried me through some challenging times, especially in terms of job searches. Ryan is my own personal hype man!”

If they say it takes a village to raise a child, then Lewis and Taughrin have created their own version by blending their families. As they grew in their respective careers, their collaboration went beyond research and work. It began to include strategies for tackling parenting challenges while pursuing a doctoral degree and working full time.

“Our families are friends at this point. Danielle’s daughter is considered my middle child and vice versa,” said Taughrin. “Our kids dance with the same team—they’re close—so we've been able to navigate parenting together, which is not easy while working and getting a PhD.”

This experience of balancing their jobs, family and scholarly learning will be brought to life in a forthcoming book chapter.

“I think we’re going to write about what success looks like for us,” said Lewis. “It’s not just graduating, publishing and making sure our work for our jobs is done. It’s about how we manage all those things and spend a whole weekend at a dance competition, and make sure that we have time to go on dates with our spouses and run six days a week.”