On February 21, 2020, the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor Commission (MSAAHCC) hired Terry Alford to serve as its full-time Executive Director beginning March 2, 2020. Mr. Alford will be responsible for leading the effort to create a unified master plan that will maximize the opportunity of this unique destination that includes the Michigan Street Baptist Church, Nash House Museum, Colored Musicians Club, and WUFO Black History Collective among other important assets.
Terry Alford is a seasoned senior manager/administrator with over 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience and is a results-oriented professional with expertise in management, marketing, public relations, and community capacity-building. Most recently, he served as the “Advancing Tobacco-Free Communities” Community Engagement Program Manager at Cicatelli Associates. Prior to that, he served in various leadership roles for 18 years at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, including as director of the Erie-Niagara Tobacco-Free Coalition where he oversaw a $2 million annual budget and managed the day-to-day operations of the coalition on behalf of the NYS Department of Health including marketing, promotions, public relations, and community engagement.
He holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Medaille College with honors and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, with a minor concentration in Urban Planning from the State University College at Buffalo.
His community activities have included serving in leadership roles within the St. Martin de Porres Parish; president and CEO of Help Initiatives for Men; co-founder of Men Allied for the Need to Understand Prostate Cancer; and, co-founder and president of the African American Roswell Employee Network. He was honored by the Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society in 2019; was St. Martin de Porres Roman Catholic Church Holy Name Society’s 2016 “Man of the Year” and was Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center’s “Living the Dream” 2014 Employee of the Year.
Terry, a native of Buffalo, was raised with four other siblings by parents who made residence in neighborhoods bordering or near the Michigan Avenue corridor. He is the proud father of one daughter, Violet, and the grandfather of two, Myles and Autumn. Terry presently resides on the east side of the city with his wife, Laurie.