Buffalo Center for Arts & Technology Names Dr. Denise Harris as President & CEO
Buffalo native and higher-education veteran to lead the organization’s next chapter of workforce and youth programming
BUFFALO, NY, August 18, 2026 Buffalo Center for Arts & Technology (BCAT) today announced the appointment of Dr. Denise Harris as its next President & Chief Executive Officer. Harris, a Western New York native with more than two decades of experience in higher education and career development, will assume the role on August 18, 2026.
Harris joins BCAT from Buffalo State University, where she has served as Director of the Career and Professional Education Center for the past six years, part of a 23-year career in higher education that has spanned Hofstra University, Long Island University, Hilbert College, and D’Youville University. Her arrival brings a sharpened focus on connecting people directly to in-demand allied health and information technology careers, on strengthening the employer partnerships that turn training into employment, and on growing BCAT’s youth programming, helping young people discover their talents and build toward what comes next.
“Denise stood out early in a thorough search, and it wasn’t difficult to see why,” said Michael W. Cropp, M.D., BCAT Board Chair, and President & CEO for Independent Health. “I firmly believe the best leaders set both strategy and culture, and Denise has a proven track record on each. She brings deep expertise in career development, a real gift for building trust, and a genuine belief in the people BCAT serves. She’s exactly the leader to take this organization to its next level.”
For Harris, leading BCAT means serving the community she has always called home. She grew up in Tonawanda, studied communication at SUNY Fredonia, and, after a few years on Long Island, returned to Western New York, where she and her husband have raised their family for nearly twenty years.
“There’s nothing like Buffalo,” Harris said. “I’m raised in this community, I’m raising my family here, and my future is here. To be able to lead an organization like BCAT, in the community I love, doing work I’ve dedicated my career to, I don’t think opportunities like this come along very often.”
Harris has spent her career helping people understand how their skills and interests translate into careers, and removing the barriers, from child care to transportation, that can stand between a person and a good job. She described BCAT’s model as “the best of everything I’ve ever done,” citing its direct pathways into high-demand fields and its dual commitment to both technical training and the arts.
“At a moment when so much of the conversation is about technology, people are craving creativity, connection, and face-to-face experience,” Harris said. “What I love about BCAT is that it doesn’t treat the technical and the creative as a choice. It gives adults real pathways into careers and gives young people a place to grow through the arts. It’s both, and that’s rare.”
My vision for BCAT is to instill a sense of hope, excitement, and a feeling of belonging. The power of giving someone hope about their future is priceless. We believe in our students, we work to remove the barriers in their way, and when they succeed, we celebrate them and bring them back to inspire the next person”, Harris said.
In her first months, Harris plans to focus on getting to know BCAT’s staff, students, and community, spending time in the building, at local businesses, and in the neighborhood BCAT serves. “I want people to see me and to know that I’m here for them,” she said. “Trust is built by showing up.”
Harris holds a doctorate in educational leadership from D’Youville University, which she earned in 2024 while working full-time and raising two children. She recently completed a term as president of the SUNY Career Development Association, representing career centers across 64 SUNY campuses, and is a certified career coach.
Harris’s appointment follows a search led by the BCAT Board of Directors with the executive search firm TalentRise.
About Buffalo Center for Arts & Technology
Buffalo Center for Arts & Technology (BCAT) is a nonprofit organization that provides pathways to economic opportunity through arts and technology training. Centered on Buffalo’s East Side, BCAT serves more than 300 youth and adults annually through workforce development programs offering professional certifications and comprehensive youth programming focused on career readiness and post-secondary transition. For more information, visit buffaloartstechcenter.org.







Buffalo Center for Arts & Technology (BCAT) recently appointed Charisma DuBois as Adult Workforce Director at the nonprofit organization. BCAT offers cost-free programs designed to engage, build skills, and highlight new opportunities so that high school and adult students have the tools to build stable, hopeful, and financially secure futures.