Courtesy Shelters of Saratoga
Shelters of Saratoga (SOS), homeless service providers and operator of Saratoga County’s Code Blue program, has hired Duane J. Vaughn as its new executive director.
Vaughn starts on Sept. 7.
He joins the SOS team with significant nonprofit leadership experience. He served as executive director for the Tri-County United Way for the last four years and was previously the executive director for 13 years of WAIT House, an emergency and transitional shelter program for homeless youth in Glens Falls.
With the WAIT House, he opened the emergency shelter program in December of 2003 and the transitional living program for homeless pregnant and parenting youth in July of 2010.
“We are confident that Duane’s leadership will help Shelters of Saratoga continue to expand and strengthen its mission of providing individuals with safe shelter, supportive services and sustainable strategies to end homelessness in the Greater Saratoga region,” said Peter Capozzola, board chair for Shelters of Saratoga. “Duane’s many talents, collaborative approach and wide-ranging experience will help us accelerate opportunities for long-term sustained housing for Saratoga Springs’ most vulnerable population. He’ll be an asset to the community, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him lead our organization.”
Vaughn serves on the board of directors for the New York State United Way and on the Steering Committee of the Saratoga Warren Washington Counties Community Organizations Active in Disaster.
Previously, he has served as a board of director for the Warren Washington Association for Mental Health and co-chair of the Warren Washington County Transportation Committee. Vaughn has also been a voting member of the OCFS Runaway Homeless Youth Advisory Board and served on their steering committee.
He has served as a member of the Capital Region and North Country Human Trafficking Task Force, Washington County Children’s Mental Health Committee, Saratoga/North Country Continuum of Care as Executive Committee member and Steering Committee chair, Warren Washington Housing Coalition (past chair), The Adirondack Non-Profit Business Council (past chair) and has served as councilman for the town of Fort Ann. He graduated from Fort Ann High School and SUNY Oneonta with a B.A. in psychology.
“I am truly excited to begin working with the dedicated staff and board of directors of Shelters of Saratoga. The Saratoga community is invested in solving complex issues for populations that are vulnerable and at-risk, and I am thankful that I will be able to be a part of that collaborative process.”