Kexin Ma is a dynamic professional who commenced her career in 2011 as an HMIS/CoC Assistant, swiftly advancing to the CoC position in 2013. In this role, she assumed responsibility for overseeing both the HMIS and CoC programs, cultivating a proficiency in grant management and program development. Kexin adeptly utilizes her expertise in data analysis to provide informed funding recommendations. In recognition of her exceptional contributions to the community, Kexin was honored in 2015 as one of Business First’s 30 under 30. With a decade of invaluable experience at the Homeless Alliance, Kexin Ma was carefully selected as the Executive Director in 2021, a testament to her demonstrated leadership and unwavering dedication to the mission of ending homelessness at her second home. Kexin Ma is a graduate of the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York’s Health Leadership Fellows Program, Cohort 9, and successfully completed the Institute for Nonprofit Practice’s Core Certificate Program in 2023, equipping her with essential skills to make strategic, mission-driven decisions with a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Kexin Ma holds a Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from China Agriculture University and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University at Buffalo, with a specialization in GIS and economic development.
Ashley, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Empire State University with a degree in Human Services. At a very young age, Ashley realized her passion for helping others and has since spent most of her career helping to address the needs of the homeless and low-income communities. Ashley’s previous work experience within the Department of Social Services, provided her with a solid foundation to learn the programs that provided at least a minimum degree of economic security to a person in need. Feeling the need to challenge the stigmas surrounding homelessness, Ashley furthered her career by supervising an Emergency Shelter program and educating future leaders about homelessness. Moreover, she continued to provide services to the homeless and at-risk individuals; many of whom have had complex mental health, substance abuse, and health issues.
Recently moving back to Buffalo, Ashley’s commitment to ending homelessness has not changed. Ashley is excited to be a part of the Homeless Alliance of WNY and she is looking forward to fostering community collaboration and implementing best-practice models to ensure everyone has a home!
HMIS Director | [email protected]
Nathan graduated from the University at Buffalo with a degree in Anthropology.
Nathan worked through college as an instructor of recreational programming. After graduating, he found himself working in the nonprofit field. He spent two years serving with AmeriCorps at Tifft Nature Preserve teaching environmental education and followed that by working with Literacy New York Buffalo-Niagara advocating literacy education. He has volunteered with various local organizations through is interests in education, the outdoors, and finding new restaurants.
His experiences serving the community led him to HAWNY where he hopes to continue advocating and using his background to support the reduction and elimination of homelessness in WNY.
Operations Manager | [email protected]
Homeless Service Improvement Coordinator | [email protected]
Dan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Law from Binghamton University and a Master’s degree in Sport Management from SUNY Cortland. For the past several years, he has worked for the New York State Assembly, as a policy analyst for the Consumer Affairs and Protection Committee in Albany, NY. In that role, he analyzed legislation, amended bills, and advocated for specific policies that would help protect the consumers of New York State. He is looking forward to using his experience in policy and research in order to help reduce and eventually eliminate homelessness in the WNY area.
He is excited to be a member of this community and to help serve this community through his work at the Homeless Alliance.
Training Coordinator | [email protected]
Alissa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Theatrical Technology and Design from Appalachian State University, and a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University at Buffalo.
She began her professional career in the Department of Educational Technology and Instructional Design at Trocaire College, teaching faculty and students how to leverage technology to achieve their educational goals. Over the last couple of years she has held Instructional Design positions at SUNY Empire State College, and the NYC-based data startup – Talkwalker. Throughout her career, Alissa has always been a passionate advocate for accessible technology solutions that allow for data-driven decision making. She is looking forward to building a robust self-paced HMIS certification program, streamlining documentation efforts, and enhancing data communication efforts.
Youth Program Coordinator | [email protected]
Cassiah graduated Summa Cum Laude from SUNY Fredonia with a Bachelors of Science degree in Early Childhood and Childhood Education. After completing her degree, she taught for two years within Erie and Niagara County. While teaching, she focused on ensuring that her students’ social-emotional learning mirrored that of the curriculum. Through her time in the classroom, Cassiah recognized a deeper need that goes beyond education for the youth and young adults of WNY. It is her strong desire to help provide these basic needs and provide a place for youth and young adults to call home. Cassiah is excited to be a part of the Homeless Alliance of WNY and begin working to eradicate youth homelessness.
Quality Assurance Specialist | [email protected]
Katey holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Alaska Anchorage. After graduating Katey began her career working for the State of Alaska. She worked as a Disability Adjudicator Associate making decisions on Social Security Disability claims and later worked for the Maternal Child Health (MCH) Epidemiology Unit, primarily for the Maternal and Child Death Review Program (MCDR). Katey’s most recent position was as the Epidemiology Specialist for MCDR where she was responsible for the data quality for the program as well as provided data to assist in MCH program development and improvement.
Katey moved to WNY from Anchorage, Alaska in 2022 with her husband and two children and is excited to be assisting HAWNY and WNY homeless service providers in their work to end homelessness.
Niagara County CoC Coordinator | [email protected]
Compliance Coordinator | [email protected]
Community Engagement Coordinator | [email protected]
Senior Program Manager | [email protected]
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