Staff & Board
Staff
Top row, from left to right: Sonya (Program Assistant), Aisha (Program Assistant), Jenni (Program Director), Monica (Housing Search Navigator), Lateisha (Family Stabilization Social Worker)
Bottom row, from left to right: Laurie (Fund Development & Marketing), Jane (After Care Manager), Becky (Prevention Case Manager), Kim Hunt-Uzelac (Executive Director)
Kim Hunt-Uzelac, LMSW, MPH
Executive Director
kim@fpgroc.org
Jenni B., LMSW, joined the FPGROC family in August 2023 as Prevention Social Worker. Bilingual with a JDMSW from UB, Jenni brings experience in mental health counseling, case management, and working with survivors of domestic or sexual violence and human trafficking, as well as immigrant and migrant communities. We're delighted she's joined us!
Jenni Blais, LMSW
Program Director
jennifer@fpgroc.org
A native of New Jersey, Lateisha is an alumni of Paine College, an HBCU in Augusta, Georgia, who recently completed her MSW at Nazareth University. She joined the FPGROC family in 2023 and is responsible for the Shelter Program.
Lateisha Ukejeh, MSW
Family Stabilization Social Worker
lateisha@fpgroc.org
Laurie Mahoney, MBA
Fund Development & Marketing
laurie@fpgroc.org
Monica Szymanski
Housing Search Navigator
monica@fpgroc.org
Sonya Jordan VanAlstyne
Program Assistant
sonya@fpgroc.org
Guest Advisory Committee
Comprised of former Family Promise guests, the Guest Advisory Committee of Family Promise of Greater Rochester works in collaboration with staff, the executive committee, board members, and committees to develop and implement policies and initiatives that prioritize guest family needs and interests. The GAC supports equitable housing advocacy efforts, promotes community engagement, maintains an unwavering focus on racial equity, and ensures that guest families' voices are heard.
From left to right: Chandee (Committee Chair), Cordelia, Veronica, and Kim (Executive Director)
Board of Directors
Andrew Rath works at Woodforest National Bank serving as the Market Manager for the State of New York. Andrew is responsible for overseeing the overall operations of the bank within this market. Andrew has been employed by Woodforest for the past 13 years and will bring his financial knowledge and leadership experience to the organization. Andrew was first exposed to FPGROC while facilitating life skills training in Financial Education where he gained a deep appreciation for the work that FGPROC provides the community. Andrew resides in the Greater Rochester area with his wife Carrie and their two children Natalie and Madison.
Andy Rath
Board Chair
Retail Market Manager -
New York State
Woodforest National Bank
Colleen Lewis, LMSW
Board Vice Chair
Pediatric Social Worker
Accountable Health Partners
John is a partner at Flaherty Salmin CPAs. John’s focuses his work with developers, owners and managers of affordable housing on the east coast of the United States. John is on the Leadership Council at the United Church of Christ Congregational in Webster, New York.
John Norton
Board Treasurer
Partner, Flaherty Salmin CPAs
Laurie brings strong sales, marketing, technology, and project management assets to FPGROC’s board. A fifteen-year coordinator at founding host Third Presbyterian Church, she developed her anti-homelessness and anti-poverty activism there and at Rochester Rotary. She received her MBA (applied economics and non-profit management) from the University of Rochester’s Simon Business School, completed her doctoral course work in Educational Administration at UR’s Warner School of Education, and is a permanently certified teacher in New York State. When not working or volunteering, Laurie takes joy in friends-and-family time, walking her dog Casey, yoga, and her newfound interest in culinary art.
Rachel Betts
Data & Engagement Project Manager
Connected Communities:
Emma and Beechwood
n.
Katherine (Kate) Karl is a partner at the law firm Underberg & Kessler, LLP. A former law clerk to the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department, Kate has practiced law in Rochester since 1998. Kate is also an active board member for The Landmark Society of Western New York, Inc. and a board member and Executive Committee member of the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation. Kate lives downtown in the High Falls area.
Kate Karl
Partner
Underberg & Kessler, LLP
In her youth, Chandee and her mother were guests of Family Promise Washington County Oregon which has deeply influenced her desire to be involved with FPGROC. She began as a friend-level volunteer assisting various Rochester faith congregations, and was instrumental in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Rochester becoming a Support Congregation.
She works as an Administrative Assistant at Keeping Our Promise, Inc. in resettling U.S. wartime allies who receive a Special Immigrant Visa.
Chandee enjoys volunteering with several community organizations, and is always happy when any of her four children or husband join her.
Chandee Searcy Guest Advisory Committee Chair Administrative Assistant Keeping Our Promise, Inc.
Constance A. Patterson is from Fairport, NY and graduated in 2009. She attended Clemson University in South Carolina where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree and she received her Juris Doctorate from Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia.
Upon moving back to Rochester in 2017, she was employed with the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office serving as a Special Assistant District Attorney. She was then appointed to the Rochester City Court bench as a Rochester City Court Judge in October of 2023 and elected in November of 2023.
Constance Patterson
Rochester City Court Judge
Carla Perez
Staff Attorney
Disability Rights New York
Herb Skerker
Retired Special Education Teacher, Administrator & Finance Director
Kevin Sunderland
Assistant District Attorney
Monroe County District
Attorney's Office
Liz has worked in the construction, real estate, property management field for more than 30 years and hopes her experiences can contribute to the strategic direction and success of FPGROC. She is excited to work alongside the board members and volunteers to help advance the mission.
Regina Grice is an experienced Strategic Human Resources professional who enjoys building relationships with employees and managers, collaborating with leaders to develop innovative strategies to address the challenges of the ever-changing workforce, and a Diversity Champion committed to cultivating diverse and inclusive work environments where everyone feels seen and heard.
Regina has been a proud member of Baber AME Church for over 15 years, serving on the Trustee Board, the Strategic Planning Committee, and the Thomas Davis Lay Organization. She is a 2023 graduate of United Way’s African American Leadership Development program, which provides black professionals with leadership training and prepares leaders to participate in policy-making positions at community organizations.
Regina is a certified Human Resources Professional, holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Leadership from Roberts Wesleyan College, and will earn her Master’s degree in Human Resources from Stony Brook University in the Spring of 2024. Regina’s personal experience as a teenage and single mother of two, while navigating and overcoming the challenges of poverty with the help of government housing subsidies and public assistance while raising her children and pursuing her education to achieve self-sufficiency, is why she is a committed, and compassionate servant leader dedicated to serving as an FPGROC Board Member to advocate and support families’ human right to have affordable, decent, and equitable housing and achieve sustainable independence.
Liz Kauffman-Dence
Director Real Estate and Property Management, Rochester Regional Health
A native of Rochester, NY, Raquel obtained an Associate Degree in Business Administration and another in Liberal Arts (MCC); a Bachelor of Science in Business, Management and Economics, with a concentration in Operations (SUNY Empire State); and a Master of Science in Management, with a specialty in Leadership (RIT).
Raquel currently has over 12 years of leadership, and 10 years of Human Resource experience. She is also the Owner and Creative Design of Raquel Denise Handbags, a luxury and affordable handbags boutique that caters to the everyday woman.
Raquel shares, “I am honored and humbled to serve on the Board of FPGROC to bring awareness to the Rochester community and beyond of the importance of ending poverty, as it impacts individuals, families, and communities.”
Raquel Lowry CCSI - Benefits & Wellness Program Manager
Stephanie Taylor
Supportive Transitional Housing Program Coordinator & Community Liaison, University of Rochester
Dianne relocated to Rochester from New York City in 1990. She is an alumnus of Monroe Community College where she earned her Human Services Certification, Associates Degree in Addiction Counseling and Liberal Arts and Sciences. Diane went on to The College at Brockport to earn a Bachelor’s of Science and a Master of Arts Degree.
Dianne is passionate about making an impact in the lives of underserved populations. She has 23 years of experience serving the Rochester community, including people with disabilities, survivors of domestic violence and those struggling with mental health and substance use disorders.
Dianne Moultrie Mental Health Association Peer Support Specialist
Regina Grice Director of Human Resources Allendale Columbia School