Dawn Wells-Clyburn, a Buffalo native, returned home in 1999 to care for her terminally ill father. Fueled by the degraded conditions in the city, she decided to apply her professional business skills to her passion for change. This drove her to work with several community organizations that promoted social justice, community development, youth activism and cultural enhancement. While doing this Dawn started her own bookkeeping service to small businesses and charitable organizations; continued her education and started a family.

Dawn has been with the organization since 2013 and has held several roles over the years. As Deputy Director, she works closely with the Executive Director and the Senior Management Team to chart PUSH’s future growth and strategic responses to community needs. She has brought a generation of experience to PUSH with financial and management information systems and led one of the most critical infrastructure updates in the organization’s history – building out the Financial, HR and IT functions.

She is called to this work because PUSH has lifted so many unheard voices and has supported communities in being self-determined to radically effect change – from creating affordable housing to holding those with power accountable; things she finds to be necessary, life-affirming and liberating.