Shelters of Saratoga recently names Vaughn executive director.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Shelters of Saratoga recently announced the hiring of Duane J. Vaughn as its new executive director.
Vaughn will lead the organization, which is one of the area’s leading homeless service providers and operator of Saratoga County’s Code Blue program, starting next month on Sept. 7.
Following an extensive search led by the Shelters of Saratoga board of directors, Vaughn joins the team with significant nonprofit leadership experience, a press release from the organization said. Vaughn served as the 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 Office of Children and Family Services-licensed 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,” board chair Peter Capozzola said in the release. “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.”
Currently, Vaughn serves as a board director for the New York State United Way and on the steering committee of the Saratoga Warren Washington Counties Community
Organizations Active in Disaster. Previously Vaughn has served as a board 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. Vaughn graduated from Fort Ann
High School and The State University College at Oneonta with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Vaughn lives in West Fort Ann with his wife Mindy Wilson and dog Oliver.
“I have been blessed to work with such wonderful organizations as the Tri-County United Way and the WAIT House,” Vaughn said in the release. “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.”
Vaughn left an indelible mark during his time with the Tri-County United Way, and the organization praised his leadership and commitment to the community he served. “Duane has been invaluable to the success of Tri-County United Way since becoming Executive Director in 2016,” board president David Krogmann said in the release. “His organizational skills and true care for the disadvantaged in our area have come at a crucial time. He has become an integral and important leader in our community. His presence and leadership will be missed greatly, but we wish him only the best in his new position.”
Shelters of Saratoga’s mission is to provide individuals with safe shelter, supportive services and sustainable strategies to end homelessness in the Greater Saratoga region. Since 1991, the organization has been providing assistance to people who are facing homelessness by offering a path to self-sufficiency and helping these individuals to get back on their feet through basic necessities, case management, service referrals and resources, positive social interaction, accountability and life skills.
More information about Shelters of Saratoga is available online at sheltersofsaratoga.org.