Valerie Kane is a Senior Project Manager with John Burton Advocates for Youth, where she works to expand housing opportunities and economic mobility for former foster youth and youth experiencing homelessness. Valerie’s career has focused on enhancing programs and services for economically disadvantaged communities. Before joining JBAY, Valerie worked as a policy analyst for the Alameda County Social Services Agency for 9 years, after working in the fields of affordable housing finance and development, and advocacy for homeless youth.
Valerie has led policy advocacy efforts to expand affordable housing options for targeted communities, such as youth, veterans, and teachers, and to protect immigrant families’ rights to supportive services. She designed innovative methods to incorporate community input into policy development, and organized impacted residents to raise a collective voice to elected decision makers.
She earned her B.A in Urban Studies at San Francisco State University, and a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. Her education includes a focus in housing, gender equity, and grassroots organizing.
John Burton Advocates for Youth improves the quality of life for youth in California who have been in foster care or homeless by advocating for better laws, training communities to strengthen local practices and conducting research to inform policy solutions.
