Brown Appoints New Deputy Mayor

"Ellen Grant is a natural choice to serve as a Deputy Mayor for the City of Buffalo," said Mayor Brown. "Her strong educational background and proven governmental track record in management and innovative leadership, as well as her vast experience in the health care industry, having previously served in executive positions at BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, Buffalo General Hospital, and Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, shows she is more than capable of continuing the progress this administration is making to expand and diversify Buffalo’s economy, and foster even stronger community partners to further strengthen our city’s educational system."

In her new role, Grant will oversee and coordinate all of Mayor Brown’s educational initiatives including Say Yes to Education Buffalo, Buffalo Promise Neighborhood, Neighborhoods of Choice (BMHA), Reading Rules! Mayor Brown’s Summer Reading Challenge, and the City of Buffalo School Safety and Security Programs. She will also serve as the liaison to the Buffalo Board of Education, area Colleges and Universities, and oversee all school neighborhood and infrastructure improvements. She will also be the point person for Mayor Brown’s economic development efforts as they pertain to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, work closely with all health care organizations and hospitals in Buffalo, as well as oversee the city’s various employee benefit programs.

"As a long-time admirer of Mayor Brown’s leadership and vision for the City, I am thrilled to be joining his Administration," said Ellen Grant, PhD. "From the $400 million in newly announced investment in downtown Buffalo, including the rapidly growing Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, to the continued development along Buffalo’s waterfront to Buffalo’s greatly improved fiscal environment, it isn’t hard to see that there is amazing progress taking place all over the city. As I take on this new challenge, I look forward to working with residents, the community and City employees as we continue to make Buffalo a great place to live, work and invest."

Born and raised in Buffalo, Grant grew up in the Kensington Housing Projects. She began her career as a practical nurse at Erie County Medical Center and soon earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology at the State University of Buffalo. She now holds several degrees, including a PhD in Communications and Organizational Behavior from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and a Master’s in Social Work. She is also a licensed private therapist.
 

Grant, who currently serves as Erie County Department of Senior Services Commissioner and previously worked as Director of Cornerstone Manor, the women and children’s program of the Buffalo City Mission, will assume her duties as Deputy Mayor on December 17, 2012. Grant will oversee and coordinate all education related initiatives and serve as Mayor Brown’s liaison to the Buffalo Board of Education.