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Bios for “FOCUS on Affordable Housing” Panelists

Walt Dixie, Executive Director, Jubilee Homes

Walter Dixie has served as Executive Director of Jubilee Homes of Syracuse, Inc. for over 35 years.

In addition to being the Executive Director of Jubilee Homes, Mr. Dixie is also the founder of the Alliance Network. The Alliance
Network, founded in 1996, is a Multi-Ethnic Public Issues Advocacy Group whose mission is to improve the quality of life in Central New York Community politically, socio-economically, educationally and spiritually. The Alliance Network seeks to improve the conditions of our neighborhoods physically as well as mentally, recognizing that the health and viability of the City of Syracuse rests in its neighborhoods and communities. Under the Alliance Network Walter has served on numerous campaigns including President Barack Obama, Senator John Kerry, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney, current Mayor Ben Walsh, former Mayor Stephanie Minor, former Mayor Matthew Driscoll, former NYS Comptroller Carl McCall, Charlie King, and many other national and local campaigns.

Mr. Dixie is also the founder and former President of the National Action Network (N.A.N.) local Syracuse
Chapter. The Syracuse Chapter of N.A.N. was started in 2006. The N.A.N. National Action Network (NAN) is a social and activist-oriented organization that was conceived with a focus on action.


Mr. Dixie is a graduate of Ithaca College. He has two daughters Desaree – who is the Program Director at
Jubilee Homes & Tiffany who is currently a Teaching Assistant in the Syracuse City School District. He also
has four grandchildren Tyreonna, Jaylen, Ramel, and Destinee.


Sally Santangelo, Executive Director, CNY Fair Housing

Sally Santangelo is the Executive Director of CNY Fair Housing, a non-profit organization working to eliminate housing discrimination in Central and Northern New York. Sally started with the organization as a Fair Housing Investigator and later became the Director of Enforcement. Sally is a graduate of Onondaga Community College and SUNY New Paltz and has her Masters in Political Science from SUNY Albany. She serves as the Co-Chair of the Advocacy Committee of the Human Services Leadership Council of CNY and serves on the Board of Directors of Home HeadQuarters and the Advisory Board of the Housing and Homeless Coalition of CNY. Sally lives in Liverpool with her husband and three kids.


Palmer Harvey, Co-founder, Syracuse Tenants Union

Palmer Harvey is the founder of, and an organizer with, the Syracuse Tenants Union and an active leader in the statewide coalition Housing Justice For All. She is the local NAACP chapter’s Housing Committee Chair, the Southside Lead Community Ambassador, a Northside Housing Taskforce member, and a board member of the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP), which provides legal counsel to tenants facing eviction in Syracuse. She is a fierce community advocate, dedicated to housing justice.


Megan Stuart, Director, Housing and Homeless Coalition of Central New York

Megan Stuart is the Director of the Housing and Homeless Coalition of Central New York, which acts as HUD’s Continuum of Care for homelessness. The coalition’s mission is to assess community needs and foster collaboration in an effort to prevent, reduce, and ultimately end homelessness. She has been serving as Director since June of 2018 and has worked in housing and homelessness for over ten years overseeing federal, state, and locally funded projects. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology/Sociology and Political Science from William Smith College and an Executive Master’s in Public Administration from Syracuse University.

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