Buffalo, NY -- The Buffalo Niagara Partnership (BNP) is pleased to announce the hiring of Kenya K. Hobbs as Director, Community Engagement & Equity Initiatives. Hobbs will lead the BNP’s Employ Community Coalition, which advances sustainable workforce development solutions and manage the chamber’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs to build more diverse and inclusive workplaces across the region.  

Hobbs previously served as Medaille’s College's interim Vice President for Student Development and the college’s Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.   

A central component of BNP’s Employ Buffalo Niagara, the Community Coalition informs and influences BNP’s workforce and talent initiatives and works to coordinate better the Western New York (WNY) workforce ecosystem to build greater awareness of regional efforts and maximize collaboration around key objectives. Initiatives and ongoing work of the Coalition include Employ Buffalo Niagara Benefits Cliff Calculator, HR Toolkit, efforts associated with access to daycare and transportation, as well as BNP's role in the Youth Employment Coalition. 

“One of BNP’s strategic values is our ability to convene the right stakeholders, and our Community Coalition is the table where employers come together with the public sector, education and training partners, and other workforce intermediaries to share their employment challenges, and find solutions that address barriers to economic mobility for the under and unemployed in our region,” said Dottie Gallagher, President & CEO of the BNP.  “Kenya’s demonstrated ability to lead and effect change will strengthen the impact of the Coalition as the BNP continues to advance employer-led workforce development in Buffalo Niagara.” 

In addition to expanding community engagement, Hobbs will also be actively involved in deploying and managing the BNP's current suite of DEI offerings for employers, as well as helping develop new programs and services that assist employers in building equitable workplaces. “I am thrilled to join the BNP and contribute to further enhancing the transformational efforts underway for the region.,” says Hobbs. “The intentional efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace are essential to not only helping employers attract and retain talent but to build a stronger, more inclusive economy that will benefit everyone in Buffalo Niagara.”    

Hobbs will also draw upon his community engagement skills honed during a stint in the City of Buffalo’s Office of Strategic Planning to network, establish and maintain relationships with a broad range of partners and stakeholders to advance the workforce development and/DEI initiatives of Employ Buffalo Niagara. 

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ABOUT THE BUFFALO NIAGARA PARTNERSHIP
The Buffalo Niagara Partnership is the area’s regional chamber of commerce and privately funded economic development organization. BNP members employ more than a quarter of a million people in the Buffalo Niagara region. By mobilizing members and strategic partners around common goals, the BNP grows private investment and jobs in Buffalo Niagara through advocacy, business development, and convening.  

Learn more at thepartnership.org.