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This year HOME warmly welcomes six new board members. You
will find that each new board member has a unique range of skills and
abilities that will help further the mission of HOME. Let’s meet them,
shall we?
Dorothy Ivy Gadley
is employed at the law firm Hodgson Russ, LLP. She has been there for 6
years as a real estate paralegal. She heard about HOME through a partner
at Hodgson Russ, who nominated her to the board. She feels that being an
African-American woman, “I am very familiar with the struggles and have
been personally affected by discriminatory issues so I have a very strong
commitment to civil rights matters.”
Lisa R. Jenkins
is currently working in the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and she has been
there for 15 years. She is on the Executive Board of her church, True
Bethel Baptist Church. She had heard of HOME over the years and when she
heard HOME was looking for new board members she decided to join us. She
feels that as a minority, “It is my responsibility to use my voice” to
speak out for those who are unable.
Dan Kohane,
an attorney with Hurwitz & Fine, P.C., served on the board
from 1986–1998. Since 1998 he has served as counsel to the board. He was
awarded the Directors Award for Distinguished Service in the Cause of Fair
Housing in 1989, the James Crawford Award for Service to HOME in 1993 and
the Sarah G. Metzger Human Rights Award in 2000.
When asked what makes his commitment to civil rights so strong, his reply
was “because it is the right thing to do –
housing is a basic need, like food and clothing. It is critically
important that every man, woman and child, no matter what his or her
status, has an equal opportunity to find a place to live.”
Fred A. Merukeb
has been working at Lakeshore Behavioral Health for two
years now. His job serves mostly people with a drug addiction. Before
that he was employed at Kaleida for nine years. He has worked as a
counselor for a long time because, he says: “I hate to see people treated
unfairly.” He feels that someone should speak out for those who don’t
have the ability to do so themselves.
Juan Carlos Valentin
is the Director of Hispanic Services for the Salvation Army. He also
serves as Vice President of Hispanics United of Buffalo, Inc.; President
of Hispanic Network of WNY; Treasurer at West Side Community Center; Board
of Director on the Erie County Youth Bureau; Chair of the Erie County
Coalition Against Domestic Violence. He has over 18 years experience in
Human Services, working with diverse populations and communities. He has
the desire to help others help themselves. He says since we all are
striving for the same things in life such as “quality, comfort and
health”, everyone should be on a level playing field regardless of who
they are.
Steven J. Weiss
formed his own law firm which is named Cannon Heyman & Weiss, LLP. His
practice focuses in the areas of affordable senior and multi-family
housing, and corporate finance transactions. Mr. Weiss participated in
Leadership Buffalo’s class of 1997, and was named to Business First of
Buffalo’s “40 Under 40”. |
