Task Force
Help Make your Community Lead Safe
Lead poisoning is 100% preventable, and the Lead Safe Task Force is open to everyone. Join the Lead Safe Task Force to lend your voice to raising awareness and eliminating lead poisoning for our most vulnerable citizens. Please contact Cara Matteliano, Senior Director, Policy and Strategic Partnerships at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo at caram@cfgb.org or Anna Falicov, Deputy Executive Director at Home HeadQuarters, Inc. at annaf@homehq.org to learn how to get involved.
About The Lead Safe Task Force
The Buffalo and Erie County Lead Safe Task Force seeks to amplify the voices of parents with young children, increase the volume of grassroots engagement, and engage a broad array of stakeholders in making Buffalo lead-safe. Join parents, caregivers, nonprofit organizations, as well as faith-, neighborhood-, and community-based groups that serve families with young children who may be affected by lead poisoning. There are many opportunities to contribute your time and talent to protecting our children.
Participation in the Lead Safe Task Force is open to any individual and/or organization committed to preventing childhood lead poisoning in our community. The work of the Task Force is spread across three working groups.
Communications Work Group
The Communications Work Group promotes lead awareness in the community and develops strategies for reaching families with young children, landlords, and community members who can play a role in reducing lead poisoning. This group also works on marketing and outreach campaigns.
Community Engagement Work Group
The Community Engagement Work Group works to ensure lead poisoning prevention and intervention services meet community needs. They partner with residents and community-based organizations to amplify individual voices, elevate lived experiences, and co-create solutions to reduce lead poisoning.
System Improvements (Policy) Work Group
The System Improvements Work Group develops and strengthens the processes, policies, resources, and regulations needed to reduce lead exposure. Join us in learning more.
Members of the Lead Safe Task Force
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Stephanie Simeon | Heart of the City Neighborhood |
| Arthur Wheaton | The IRL School- Cornell University |
| Aaron Figueroa | City of Buffalo |
| Cathy Amdur | City of Buffalo |
| Barry Weiss | Rise and Run Solutions |
| Cara Matteliano | Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo |
| Melanie Desiderio | Erie County |
| David Hahn Baker | Community Member |
| Fallon Beecroft | WNY Lead Resource Center |
| Franchelle Hart | Open Buffalo |
| Henry Nowak | NYS Supreme Court |
| Isabel Murphy | NYS Attorney General’s Office |
| Jennifer Nalbone | NYS Attorney General’s Office |
| Jessica Bauer Walker | CoNECT |
| John Lipsitz | Lipsitz Ponterio |
| John O’Brien | Community Member |
| Kelly Sullivan | LiveWell Erie |
| Kelly Wofford | Erie County Office of Health Equity |
| Kinzer Pointer | Concerned Clergy |
| Katarzyna Kordas | SUNY University at Buffalo |
| Lauren Howard | Buffalo Sewer Authority |
| Lisa Vahapoglu | UB Renews Institute |
| LuAnne Brown | Buffalo Pre-Natal PeriNatal Network |
| Maribel Cancel | Buffalo Pre-Natal PeriNatal Network |
| Marixsa Sanhchez | Buffalo Pre-Natal PeriNatal Network |
| Melinda Cameron | WNY Lead Poisoning Prevention Center |
| Yvonne McCray | City of Buffalo |
| Natasha Mehta | Buffalo Public Schools |
| Marc Hennig | Beyond WNY/Lead 716 |
| Michael Weise | Erie County Office of Health Equity |
| Monica Miles | SUNY University at Buffalo |
| Thomas Muscarella | Erie County |
| Truc-Mai Nguyen | Buffalo Public Schools |
| Anna Falicov | Home HeadQuarters |
| Nina Zesky | Home HeadQuarters |
| OJ McFoy | Buffalo Water Authority |
| Patrick Omilian | NYS Attorney General |
| Rachel Bonsignore | Liftoff WNY |
| Sarah Wooten | Partnership for the Public Good |
| Trinetta Alson | The Community Health Center for Greater Buffalo |
| Crystal Middleton | City of Buffalo |
| Deirdre Quain | City of Buffalo |
Benefits Of A Lead Safe Home For Children
Increased Academic Performance in School
Higher IQ
Increased Ability to Pay Attention
