Valerie Lynne Kane is a Senior Policy Research Manager with John Burton Advocates for Youth, where she works to expand housing opportunities and strengthen public benefits that provide food, health care, access to higher education and financial assistance for youth with experiences in the foster care system or homelessness, and youth who have been impacted by the juvenile justice system. . Valerie’s career has focused on enhancing programs and services for systemically marginalized 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. She is driven to improve and expand social safety net services after her experiences piecing together unacceptably limited support in her 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.
