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Buffalo City Mission announces leadership transition

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Fri, Apr 29th 2022 11:55 am

Aubrey Calhoun named successor to executive director role

The Buffalo City Mission’s board of directors announced a leadership transition, naming Aubrey Calhoun as the incoming executive director. Calhoun will be the first female executive director and CEO in the Buffalo City Mission’s 105-year history, succeeding active Executive Director and CEO Stuart Harper, who will step down May 6.

“My sincere gratitude to the board of directors for this opportunity, and to Stuart Harper for his tireless and inspiring leadership,” Calhoun said. “I am honored, humbled and blessed to take on this elevated role with an organization that I have lovingly served for the last 16 years. From the moment I was introduced to the City Mission at the age of 7, I knew this organization was where my heart and future resided. I look forward to empowering our entire team and engaging members of our community to help bring our organization into its next chapter and optimize our dream to help alleviate homelessness in Western New York.”

Calhoun’s transition follows a 16-year tenure with the City Mission during where she has served numerous leadership roles, including associate executive director, director of Cornerstone Manor, director of public relations-development, director of community relations, and most recently chief operating officer.

A press release said, “Her leadership has been seen throughout the Mission and felt across the Western New York community, leading to transformative impact for the region’s poor and homeless.”

She has also overseen a number of initiatives, including leading the agency’s “Next Century Capital Campaign,” a $15 million fundraising initiative that fueled the construction of its new community center, the Alfiero Family Center of Hope and Promise.

Calhoun’s elevation to role of executive director and CEO comes as part of a planned-out succession plan.

“Through God’s vision, it has been my honor to serve as executive director for the last 14 years,” Harper said. “By working with strong leadership across our board, our staff, and our community partners, I am proud to have helped so many in need. I have had the pleasure of working alongside Aubrey and have watched her grow and develop into a strong leader that has a heart for the Mission, those we serve and this great community. I believe she is the very best choice to lead the City Mission into the future.”

Most recently, the Buffalo City Mission completed construction of its 75,000-square-foot flagship community center located on East Tupper Street. To further support this, the agency is continuing its “Pick-A-Brick Campaign,” an initiative to “help pave a pathway to a new life for poor and impoverished individuals throughout the region.”

“On behalf of the Buffalo City Mission’s board of directors, I extend heartfelt congratulations to Aubrey Calhoun on this momentous occasion,” President Paul Kazmierczak said. “The future is bright for the Mission. This transition comes at a time of tremendous growth and opportunity, and we are confident that Aubrey’s driven leadership will propel us into the next chapter.”

A press release noted, “The City Mission continues to look for volunteers and donations to support the programs offered at the Community Center and Cornerstone Manor. These programs benefit the men, women and children looking to build a pathway to a healthy and stable life by addressing the root cause of homelessness.

To learn more about the Buffalo City Mission or how to get involved, visit buffalocitymission.org.

The Buffalo City Mission, founded in 1917, is a nonprofit organization providing preventative, emergency and transitional housing programs to thousands of people who are homeless and impoverished every year. For more information, visit www.buffalocitymission.org; call 716-854-8181; or follow on social via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloCityMission), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/buffalocitymission/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/CityMission).

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