Senior Staff

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Crystal started working for Family Promise in August of 2020.  She is passionate about helping others and likes working at this shelter because everyone is a family and we stick together! 

Maura is a single mother of three.  She loves working at Family Promise helping other families.  Her favorite part about this job is getting to know people because eveyrone's different!

Jenn (they/them or she/her) completed their undergraduate education at Canisius College, studying Art History, Anthropology, and Gender Studies. Jenn is passionate about social justice and working with youth, which has continued to draw them back to working in local communities of Buffalo at grassroots levels. Jenn is very excited to be working with the families we see here, and creating lasting relationships among the community through their additional role as community engagement coordinator.  

 Grace is a recent graduate of Houghton College with a degree in Writing and Intercultural Studies.  She loves working with children and her passions include getting to know new people, creative writing, reading, and exploring new places- especially ones with mountains or waterfalls.  Grace comes to us from BUMP (Buffalo Urban Mission Partner), a faith-based organization that works to place young adults in non-profit organizations around the city of Buffalo.  

Matthew currently works for Verizon as the Senior Manager of Learning and Development. In this role, Matthew is responsible for overseeing the L&D needs for Verizon vendor partners from a national perspective. Matthew is a native of Buffalo, New York and currently resides in Amherst with his wife, Asia, and 2-year-old son, Matthew2. Matthew graduated from St John Fisher College with a degree in Business Management. Matthew is involved with serving with Buffalo Prep and is passionate about helping serve the city of Buffalo. 

Marissa Desiderio is the Program Manager of Case Management Services with Child & Family Services of Erie County. Prior to Child & Family Services, Marissa was a Supervisor with Say Yes to Education Buffalo and Catholic Charities. She has been working with children and families for over 15 years in various capacities. Marissa is also a clinical social worker who maintains a small private practice. 

Katherine Dibble is an attorney at Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC   Her interest in joining the Board of Family Promise stems from both her personal and professional life.  As an attorney, she has had the opportunity to be on all sides of difficult situations, and has had to counsel people through some of the most trying parts of their lives.  In these moments, she has realized how important it is to have robust support systems in place to help anyone and everyone who needs a hand.  As a life long Buffalonian, she could not be more proud to be part of a community that fosters places like Family Promise and protects the most vulnerable people in their most vulnerable moments.  She finds having some small role in assisting in the mission of Family Promise to be a privilege.

Christian Hoffman is the Director of Communication at Community Missions in Niagara County, the largest private provider of basic human needs and of mental health services in the area. Since joining the Mission in February 2013, Mr. Hoffman has garnered unprecedented media coverage for the agency, launched several new initiatives, and helped secure hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding.  He resides in Cheektowaga with his wife, Toni, and two children, Elliana (6) and Jack (3). He has served on the Board of Family Promise of WNY since 2014.  

James is a Vice President and Community Office Manager for BankonBuffalo in Amherst, NY. James has spent his career in banking and his experience ranges all over the country having worked for some of the nation’s largest banks in Arizona, Florida, and Buffalo.  He is a native of Syracuse, attended Canisius College, and left Buffalo after graduation for “greener” pastures.  Not long after leaving James found his true love for Buffalo and Western New Yorkers.  After 10 long years, James returned to Buffalo for good in 2014.  James is a resident of Williamsville with his fiancée and two children.  He is a proud Graduate of Leadership Buffalo Class of 2020. 

Kaylei Russell, CPA is a Senior Accountant with BS&P CPA's and Consultants where she focuses on providing taxation and attestation services to small businesses and individuals. After graduating from SUNY Fredonia with a degree in Public Accountancy, Kaylei relocated to Buffalo and is passionate about becoming involved in the local community. She is eager to use her professional experience to aid the mission of Family Promise and play a small role in making a lasting impact in the lives of others. Outside of work Kaylei enjoys hiking with her dog, cycling, kayaking and spending time with friends and family. 

Ms. Aundrea Sanders is the Supervisor of Student Support Services for the Buffalo Public Schools (BPS). She has been employed by the BPS for the past 20 years. A school social worker by training, Aundrea has focused on service to others through the development of youth mentoring and enrichment programs and church-community building programs. Service to others has allowed her to provide advice and direction as students navigate education, college, career, and life choices. As an educator and social worker, she believes it’s necessary to create networks and share life's journey to make life a little easier for someone else. Aundrea is married with three children and enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and event planning.