BUFFALO, JUNE 22, 2021 — BCAT is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kamalah Poles to serve as our youth arts and technology director.
Kamalah brings 10 years of experience working with Buffalo’s youth. In her previous role, she worked as the program director for the Williams-Emslie YMCA providing oversight and strategic direction of the facility’s program. Prior to the YMCA, she served as the program coordinator for the Boys & Girls Club.
As BCAT’s youth arts and technology director, she will be charged with creating new partnerships and collaborations with youth-centered organizations, and Buffalo Public and Charter schools. Additionally, with the support of her team, she will forge new relationships with organizations throughout the city that will serve as mentorship and internship sites for our youth. In the immediate future, she will implement trauma informed and LBGTQ+ training programs to our staff to ensure we are successful in delivering the right care, empathy and supports to the youth we serve.
Kamalah will lead a team of three: Kevin Kline, curriculum designer and teaching artist, Caroline Lewis, social worker, and Matthew Bosque, college and career counselor. Under Kamalah’s guidance, this team will work to make sure our youth have a safe and inspiring place while they’re at BCAT, build a tactical plan for when they graduate, and retain a committed support network as they become independent adults.
