Our People

Sharon McDonald is Senior Advisor to the Chief Policy Officer with a focus on policy and program strategies to address family homelessness. Ms. McDonald joined the Alliance in 2001. Before that, she was a direct practitioner in a Richmond, VA, community-based service center for people who are homeless for nearly seven years. She has experience providing service-enhanced housing in a subsidized housing development for low-income families with children and in housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. She served as a Social Work Congressional Fellow in Sen. Paul D. Wellstone’s office where she focused on welfare and housing issues. Ms. McDonald is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and holds a Ph.D. in Social Work and Social Policy from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Mary Frances is Vice President, Training and Technical Assistance at the Alliance. She has spent more than 17 years helping communities reimagine their homelessness response systems. Mrs. Kenion’s Continuum of Care (CoC) experience includes implementing programs that maintain fidelity to Housing First, developing performance-based contracting, program design and implementation (including coordinated entry, housing problem-solving, and unified shelter), program and system-related policy development, compliance/monitoring, and coalition building to advance racial equity.

Prior to joining the Alliance, Mrs. Kenion was a Senior Manager, Homeless Services at ICF where she worked closely with communities on accelerating placements to permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness while reducing racial disparities in outcomes within homeless response systems. She led several major projects including: the development and delivery of a racial equity foundational workshop series for CoCs, spearheaded the development of a racial equity learning collaborative for HUD training and technical assistance providers, led Oregon’s Task Force on Homelessness and Racial Disparities from 2021-2023, and co-designed the framework grounded in targeted universalism for Oregon’s Executive Order 23_02 to address unsheltered homelessness in the state.

Mary Frances is a DC native turned Southern Maryland transplant where she lives with her wife, their twin boys, and dog. In her spare time, she serves as an elementary school PTO president, secretary of the Charles County Commission on Individuals with Disabilities, and assistant swimming coach for Special Olympics Southern Maryland.  Mrs. Kenion is a member of the Impact Center’s Women’s Executive Leadership Program fall 2024 cohort.

Joy Moses is the Alliance’s Vice President of Research and Evidence. Throughout her career, she has worked to reduce poverty and advance racial justice. Before joining the Alliance, she was a private consultant and analyst with the Center for American Progress. Within those roles, she managed projects and developed research reports and other forms of analysis. Early in her career, Joy was a legal advocate, representing the interests of children and youth through her work at the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. She is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Stanford University.

Tom Murphy is the Vice President of Communications for the Alliance. In this role, he develops, implements, and oversees the Alliance’s communications, including defining strategy, goals, objectives, and priorities. Tom brings 20 years of experience in communications, including work in agency, non-profit, and consulting environments. In addition to his extensive work in healthcare communications, Tom previously served as Director of Communications for Miriam’s Kitchen in Washington, D.C., where he led the effort to re-position the organization to the local media as a leader in homeless advocacy. Tom received his communications degree from La Salle University in Philadelphia, PA.

Marcy Thompson is the Alliance’s Vice President of Programs and Policy. In this role, she develops, coordinates and leads the implementation of the organization’s policy and advocacy agenda. Marcy brings more than 20 years of experience developing and implementing federal homelessness-related policy as a public servant, consultant, and frontline services practitioner. Most recently, Marcy served as the Director of Policy Initiatives at the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness where she led the development of All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. Her efforts directly ensured that the plan included a strong emphasis on addressing systemic racism as a root cause of homelessness and on ensuring that people with lived experience are partners and leaders in developing the policies and solutions. Marcy’s prior experience includes leading a national technical assistance team that provided equity-centered homelessness technical assistance and capacity-building support around the country and in various roles at HUD, where she worked collaboratively across the federal government to develop policy that sought to codify national best practices. Marcy earned her Masters in Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Jeania Davis is the Director of Meetings & Events for the National Alliance to End Homelessness. In her role she works to coordinate, plan, and execute conferences, meetings, and events. Prior to joining the Alliance, Jeania was an experienced Meetings Developer and Certified Digital Event Strategist working in the civic & social organization industry, as well as the corporate sector. She is skilled in Conference and Event Management, Grants Management and Project Management. Jeania is a creative and highly organized professional having worked for iconic brands such as Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and Girl Scouts of the USA. Early in her career, Jeania spent many years in social services and direct client care as a Project AIDS Care Case Manager which provided the skills needed to formulate programs that would house and care for those who found themselves homeless and severely ill. She served for 3 years as Vice Chair to the Homeless Services Network of Central Florida, while working as the social service provider to the residents of one of the first SROs in Orlando. Jeania received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Central Florida. Her goal in life is to bring mindful people together who share a similar purpose to build thriving communities.

Albert Townsend joins the Alliance as its Director of Lived Experience and Innovation. He supports community leaders in developing and implementing the Alliance’s plan to partner with people with lived experience. He develops the Alliance’s position around incorporating people with lived experience to assure the organization is practicing diversity, inclusion and equality. His role will create face to face, virtual, and social dialogues that intentionally support unsheltered and formerly unsheltered advocates on how to make change in their communities and be the best possible version of themselves. Albert will be building a network of coalitions and creating a community framework to assure all community voices are heard, and that the Alliance’s infrastructure is aligned to provide ongoing support and guidance for community advocates to be the developers, creators, and implementers of their work.

Charlotte Agniel is the Operations Associate at the Alliance. In this role, she provides support for the team’s finances, development, fundraising, and operations. Before joining the Alliance, Charlotte interned for Senator Dianne Feinstein where she managed constituent services in the Bay Area. She also worked as a CalFresh Ambassador for her university’s Basic Needs Center which focused on ensuring food stability for students on campus. Additionally, she volunteered as a tutor for incarcerated individuals at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in order to support students in their GED preparation. Charlotte holds a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Global Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

Kevin Anderson is the Content Development Specialist at the National Alliance to End Homelessness. In his role, he creates graphics and videos, manages the website’s content, and analyzes data from newsletters, social media, and web traffic to improve the user experience of its audiences.

Over nearly eight years of national service experience, Kevin served in FEMA Corps to assist with disaster response after Hurricane Sandy, and as a VISTA with Habitat for Humanity. He later supported AmeriCorps NCCC recruitment as a federal employee.

Kevin’s passion for service and commitment to making a meaningful impact led him to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, where he continues to use his skills to support the mission of ending homelessness in the United States.

Mar-quetta is an experienced and results-driven executive specializing in leading nonprofit organizations focused on ending homelessness. With over 9 years of expertise, she champions transformative initiatives, cultivates strong community partnerships, and creates sustainable solutions that prioritize the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness. As the former Executive Director of Summit County Continuum of Care (SCCoC), Mar-quetta secured $5 million in funding for homelessness initiatives, expanded shelter capacity, and enhanced supportive services across the region. Her leadership also brought in $1.5 million specifically to address youth homelessness. Mar-quetta played a key role in forming lasting partnerships with Managed Care Organizations to address housing as a crucial social determinant of health. Before SCCoC, she served as the Continuum of Care Manager for the City of Akron, leading community planning efforts and developing policies to streamline coordination and improve system-wide entry processes.

Mar-quetta holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati and has completed the Organizational Leadership program at Harvard Business School Online, as well as Real Estate studies at Hondros College. She is an active community leader, serving on boards such as the Gay Community Endowment Fund and the RISE Court Board of Advisors, and contributing to HUD’s Coordinated Entry Equity Initiative Ohio Taskforce. Honored with multiple awards, including the Greater Akron Chamber 30 For the Future Award and the Lady of Legacy Award, Mar-quetta continues to lead with a focus on equity and innovative solutions for homelessness.

Nicole DuBois is a Senior Research Analyst & Coordinator for the National Alliance to End Homelessness. In this role, she manages a research agenda focused on addressing key challenges confronting efforts to end homelessness, such as increases in unsheltered homelessness. Before joining the Alliance, she was a research analyst at the Urban Institute in the Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center. Her work included multi-year evaluations of federal housing programs, case studies of homelessness response strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic, and research on the intersection between homelessness and the healthcare & criminal legal systems.

She holds an MSW with a concentration in Policy & Political Social Work from the University of Michigan and a BA in Government from Georgetown University. While at the University of Michigan, she completed her field placement at the Washtenaw County Continuum of Care.

As the Alliance’s Meetings and Events Associate, Teresa Ferrara supports the Director of Meetings and Events in coordinating annual conferences and meetings. She previously worked for another DC non-profit where she closely assisted the leadership team in hosting their annual conference from its inception in 2015. With a passion for racial justice and equity, she led antiracist book studies during the pandemic as part of the Justice and Inclusion Committee at her church. Additional work with the committee included a successful campaign with RIP Medical Debt that resulted in the elimination of their DC/Maryland debt inventory. She currently serves on the Equity Committee at the Alliance, working to grow the Alliance into a fully antiracist organization.

Andrew Hall is a Research Analyst at the Homelessness Research Institute (HRI). Before joining the Alliance, Mr. Hall was an analyst at the Economic & Public Policy Research unit at the UMass Donahue Institute. For over 8 years, he conducted quantitative and qualitative research on a wide range of policy issues including state and local economic development strategies, workforce development initiatives, affordable housing and access to opportunity, and economic trends following the Great Recession and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. He leverages his previous work involving program evaluations, economic impact analyses, statistical analyses, mapping, data visualizations, key informant interviews, focus groups, and survey design and analysis in HRI’s current portfolio of research projects. At the Alliance, he contributes to the annual State of Homelessness report and data snapshot series, and he manages the NAEH Homelessness Research Network, a group of researchers in the homelessness and housing space that explore new areas of research, identify gaps in knowledge, and help advance evidence-based policy solutions to end homelessness.

Mr. Hall is a graduate of Indiana University in Bloomington, where he received his Master of Public Affairs degree in Economic Development & Policy Analysis and Master of Arts degree in Russian & East European Studies. He also graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor of Arts degree with specialized honors in History.

Maddie Harris is a Social Work Policy Fellow at the National Alliance to End Homelessness, where they conduct policy analysis, develop advocacy materials, and research solutions for addressing homelessness through a racial equity lens. They collaborate with diverse teams to influence federal policies, focusing on unsheltered homelessness, while also working directly with stakeholders and individuals with lived experiences to shape best practices. Maddie has facilitated meetings on Capitol Hill with advocates, representatives, and senators, advocating for key housing and homelessness policy reforms. They are also passionate about sex work issues, as highlighted in their talk on the discrimination faced by transgender individuals and sex workers at the National Alliance to End Homelessness’s West Coast Conference. Maddie’s previous experience includes serving as an Affordable Housing Liaison through the AmeriCorps VISTA program with the George Washington Regional Commission, where they utilized research and stakeholder engagement to support affordable housing initiatives. This experience in housing policy and stakeholder engagement directly supports their current work in advocating for federal housing solutions. Their work with the International Rescue Committee further complements this by providing trauma-informed case management to refugee families, underscoring their commitment to supporting marginalized communities. Maddie’s role as a Student Union Representative at Columbia University has honed their advocacy skills, where they facilitated communication between students and administration, much like their current work in building coalitions for housing policy reform. As an MSW candidate at Columbia, Maddie continues to integrate their passion for social justice, housing policy, and advocacy into their professional and academic pursuits.

Lindsay Hueston is the Editorial Specialist at the Alliance. In this role, she manages the development, revision, and publication of the organization’s written materials, including but not limited to: newsletters, blog posts, social media content, fact sheets, reports and briefs. Prior to her work at the Alliance, Lindsay worked in communications for NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and served a year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest at Real Change News (Seattle, WA). She holds a B.A in English and French from Saint Joseph’s University.

Josh is a Senior Technical Assistance Specialist with the Center for Capacity Building at the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Before joining NAEH, he was the Director of Training and Equitable Practice at the Coalition On Homelessness and Housing In Ohio (COHHIO). There he promoted the utilization of evidence-based practices through equity-infused training and technical assistance, coalition building, and guidance creation throughout Ohio. He has worked in social services for over 15 years, beginning his career in the Mental and Behavioral Health field, working with adolescents and single adults. Josh worked as the Family Advocate Team Lead at the YWCA Family Shelter in Columbus, Ohio. He is a graduate of Hampton University and holds a degree in elementary education and psychology.

Allie Mattil joined the Alliance as a Development Manager to help support the organization in advancing its fundraising objectives. In this role, she manages and contributes to fundraising efforts at the Alliance including individual giving, planned giving, partner engagement, grant writing and reporting, and prospecting new opportunities for support. She graduated from Hunter College with a B.A. in Sociology and Human Rights and has more than five years in the non-profit development and event space. In her free time, she supports a grassroots nonprofit community organization in their communications and development work.

Caitlin Mello is the Executive Assistant at the Alliance. She assists the CEO and COO in their day-to-day work. Prior to joining the Alliance, Caitlin studied social work with a concentration on public policy. While pursuing a degree, they interned for 9 months with the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights State Advisory Committees where they assisted in policy analysis of the civil rights implications in the criminal legal systems of New Hampshire and Oregon. From 2019 – 2020, Ms. Mello received a Fulbright Grant to teach U.S. Politics and Conversational English at a university in Chełm, Poland. She has also previously worked in clinical social work settings in Vermont, focused on intimate partner violence, substance use disorder, mental health, and housing for a combined two years. They have a Bachelors’ degree from the University of Vermont in clinical social work with a focus on the neuroscience of behavioral health change and a Masters’ in Social Work from Columbia University with a focus on public policy and contemporary social issues.

Libby Miller is the Media Relations Specialist at the Alliance. In this role, she works closely with the communications team to develop and execute media strategies to elevate the Alliance’s priorities and outputs, and ultimately re-shape the nation’s understanding of homelessness. Prior to her work at the Alliance, Libby worked in communications for the Bipartisan Policy Center’s J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy and for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO). She got interested in the housing space from her years working as a local newspaper reporter in California. She holds a Master’s in Journalism from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and a B.A. in Journalism and Political Science from Northeastern University. She was awarded the Robert Whittington Award for Exceptional Reporting for her reporting on gun violence in Oakland, California.

Rachel Pearsall has served as the Alliance’s Online Learning Manager since 2022. In this role she manages the Center for Learning, a suite of online training resources for homeless services providers, system leaders, and others. Her passion lies in empowering people to engage imaginatively with ideas and to expand their own positive impact. Before joining the Alliance Rachel worked in training and development in the corporate sector.

Allie Pivik is the Operations Manager at the Alliance. In this role, she provides financial, fundraising, event management, and operational support for the team. Before joining the Alliance, Allie worked as a Tax Accountant at Ernst & Young, LP in San Francisco specializing in Real Estate Partnerships. During the pandemic, Allie started her own business to assist families with remote learning. Additionally, Allie works with mentorship and homelessness nonprofits based in the Northern Virginia area in her free time. She graduated from the University of Delaware and holds a B.S. in Finance and Accounting.

Malik Rivers is the Project Associate with the Center for Capacity Building at the Alliance. In this role, he supports the effectiveness of the Center by providing administrative coordination and programmatic support to its core training and technical assistance activities, including the Center for Learning. Before joining the Alliance, Malik interned with Veterans on the Rise, as a Transitional Housing Case Manager for Veterans. He also interned with DC Public Schools as a High School Social Worker where he helped facilitate students’ educational, social, and emotional growth. Additionally, Malik worked as the Mentor Program Manager for a youth development non-profit in DC. Malik coordinated with mentors and mentees to ensure they had the opportunities and resources needed to enrich their relationships. Malik holds a B.A. in Sociology from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Social Work degree from Howard University.

Daniel Soucy is a Research Analyst for the National Alliance to End Homelessness. In this role, Daniel supports the Alliance’s research agenda by using data and research evidence to find solutions to homelessness. Daniel also helps policymakers and practitioners implement those solutions. 

Before joining the alliance, Daniel worked with the International Institute of Social Studies, where they interviewed and supported LGBTQ individuals interacting with faith-based social service providers in Philadelphia and Den Hague, Netherlands. Daniel has also supported refugee populations seeking affordable housing and employment opportunities in the United States with the International Institute of New England and consulted with various organizations in India to design and evaluate research and development projects in marginalized, low-income neighborhoods. Throughout all his work, Daniel is passionate about cultivating inclusive and participatory approaches to research and ensuring that interventions are informed by robust evidence.

Daniel holds a Master of Arts in Social Policy for International Development from Erasmus University’s International Institute of Social Studies in Den Hague, Netherlands, a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and a Certificate in Human Services and Addiction Studies from Granite State College.

diiv sternman is a Senior Technical Assistance Specialist at the Alliance. diiv has spent two decades working at the intersections of homelessness and domestic violence crisis response. Their frontline work has spanned programs from hotlines, to shelters, transitional housing, day center, rapid rehousing, and coordinated entry across both crisis response sectors. Their work has sought to bridge the gaps in understanding of trauma and best practices for addressing housing crises in both fields, with a focus on the prevalence of trauma, correlations between trauma and homelessness, and the efficacy of trauma informed practices in programs designed to end homelessness.

They have experience leading the design and implementation of Coordinated Entry Systems promoting partnerships across human service sectors, increasing efficacy in service providers’ housing strategies, and applying a Racial Equity lens to system design and performance evaluation. They have led innovations in housing problem solving and homelessness diversion, landlord engagement, housing focused case management, increasing income through SOAR and workforce collaboratives, and deepening relationships between DV and homelessness crisis response systems and service providers. Through training and technical assistance, diiv hopes to help individuals and communities develop a deeper understanding of how trauma and homelessness are intertwined, tap into the deep wisdom in the field to creatively address the trauma of homelessness at the individual and system level, and identify concrete practices to make the work of ending homelessness more humane and effective.

Yolanda Stevens is a Program and Policy Analyst with the National Alliance to End Homelessness where she focuses on older adult homelessness, behavioral health and healthcare. In this capacity, she uses research and data combined with the experiences of local communities, aging and healthcare stakeholders, and people with lived expertise to develop and advance responses to the housing and health needs of the unhoused. Dr. Stevens is a fearless advocate who approaches systemic change from an intersectional framework. Yolanda has spent the majority of her career at the local level on issues related to vulnerable populations-older adults, survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and individuals experiencing homelessness. Prior to joining the Alliance, Dr. Stevens served as the Asst. Director of Community Services and Outreach in a Virginia local department of family services where her portfolio included information and referral, the Continuum of Care, Veterans services, coordinated entry, homeless services, and public assistance. She earned a master’s degree in Gerontology with a concentration in Healthcare from the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University and a doctorate in Public Policy with emphasis on Long-term Care from George Mason University.

John Threlkeld is the Alliance’s Senior Congressional Affairs Manager. For almost a quarter-century, John was the assistant legislative director of a labor union which represents federal employees. Although he worked on a myriad of issues of interest to the working- and middle-class Americans who comprise the federal civil service—from child care to health care to depot maintenance of planes, tanks, and ships–John’s specialty was outsourcing/insourcing. Despite the opposition of a $250 billion industry and a blizzard of veto threats, John was ultimately successful in securing the enactment of a series of landmark reforms and safeguards to protect the interests of taxpayers, workers, and all Americans who depend on the federal government for efficient and effective performance of services–a few of which are actually followed by the executive branch. As his union represented federal employees in 70 different agencies, John can credibly claim to have to have worked on programmatic, personnel, procurement, and funding issues arising in all twelve of the appropriations bills. John has a B.A. in political science from Columbia University and a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law.

Alec supports the Policy Team by focusing on systems and partnerships geared towards preventing and ending homelessness, and on issues from coordinated entry to environmental justice. He also helps to coordinate the organization’s work to combat the criminalization of homelessness.

Prior to joining NAEH, he worked at the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness as a Program and Management Analyst. He previously served as a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, focusing on family and youth homelessness and economic mobility. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor’s in public policy and a master’s in public administration.

Alex Visotzky is the Senior California Policy Fellow for the Alliance, where he works to ground California’s response to homelessness in best practices. Prior to the Alliance, Alex worked for five years in local government, where he served most recently as the Director of Government Affairs for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), the lead entity for the Los Angeles Continuum of Care (LA CoC). There, he directed LAHSA’s legislative, policy, and community engagement work. Prior to joining LAHSA, Alex worked for Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County, where he advocated for local and state policies to advance equitable land use, affordable housing, and affordable homeownership. He is a member of the California Interagency Council on Homelessness’ Advisory Committee and a board member for LA Forward, an organization that fights to make Los Angeles a fair, flourishing place for everyone. He has a BA from Oberlin College and an MPP from the University Southern California.

Ken Williamson is a Program and Policy Analyst for the National Alliance to End Homelessness. In this role, he advises on policy related to the expansion of affordable housing, tenant protections and eviction prevention. Prior to working at the Alliance, Ken spent two years at the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) where he advocated for federal legislation and coordinated its eviction prevention work. He also spent 12 years working for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown handling housing issues inside the state of Ohio. In total, Ken has 25 years of experience working with/for governments at the local, state and federal level.

Ken is a graduate of THE Ohio State University as a political science major with a minor in military history.

Samantha Wood is the Senior Field Organizer at the Alliance. Her primary role is to engage and build relationships with advocates throughout the country concerning matters of homelessness policy. Her passion is to bring people together to fight for housing equity and justice. Prior to working at the Alliance, Samantha was employed at The Haven in Charlottesville, Virginia as their Rapid Re-Housing Case Manager and Rapid Re-Housing Administrator. Samantha has over 14 years of accumulated direct service/case management experience including Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women, Region Ten Community Services Board, WorkSource Enterprises, Charlottesville-Albemarle Health Department and Thrive Healthcare. Samantha is also a certified Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP). Samantha received a BA in Sociology from the College of William and Mary. Samantha is currently working on a Certificate in Grassroots Organizing at the University of Richmond.