David Htoo graduated from Houghton College with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Development. David has been working with non-profit organizations as volunteer, interpreter, and refugee’s right advocate for many years. David has been working at the Buffalo City Hall as a Senior Data Processing Equipment Operator, and he also works part-time at the International Institute of Buffalo as a Certified Interpreter. David joined Karen society of Buffalo in 2011 as a volunteer in documenting KSB events. He was then elected as the KSB Board Vice-Chairperson in 2021, where he helps the Board Chairperson and Program Executive Director with various things such as making event flyers, tutoring for KSB afterschool program, taking clients to DMV, interpreting for community members, and other tasks as needed. In 2023, the former KSB Board Chairperson Daniel Leong stepped down from his position, and David was elected by the majority votes of the board to serve as the KSB Board Chairperson. 

Madee Greely is originally from Burma and formerly resided in a refugee camp in Thailand in 1988, where she obtained general education and became an elementary school teacher. She moved to the United States in 2007 and continued to receive education at the adult learning center as a first arriver.

In 2011, she worked in education as a parent facilitator, where she interpreted for parents and teachers to improve communication. In 2015, she worked with Jericho Road Community Health Center under their Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP) to help parents teach their children at home before the children’s first year of school.

In 2022, she is in charge of an afterschool program at the Karen Society of Buffalo where she teaches Karen language classes to American-born Karen children. She educates them on Karen literacy, history, and traditions to help them stay connected with their native culture. Additionally, she helps organize a Youth Program during the summer to keep children engaged with their heritage while on break. This program also aims to encourage parents to get more involved in their children’s education, providing better support for their kids to grow and learn.

As a case manager, she helps clients apply for services with DSS, such as SNAP and Medicaid. She also assists with any translation needed and helps with the application for green cards and citizenship.

As of 2023, she is serving as a Vice Chairman within the community in hopes of reuniting our community members and working with her peers to make the community grow.

Dr. Kim Griswold is a University at Buffalo Professor Emeritus of Family Medicine, Psychiatry and Public Health. She provided primary care on the West Side of Buffalo for over 25 years and was the Medical Director of an integrated mental health/primary care clinic at BestSelf Behavioral Health. Her career has been focused on diverse populations in Buffalo and helping to educate medical students about the importance of cultural humility. She worked with Karen and Burmese community leaders on a project to teach health science students how to use interpreters appropriately in a medical encounter. Currently, she is the faculty liaison to the Human Rights Initiative (HRI) at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The HRI is a Physicians for Human Rights affiliated asylum clinic, which works closely with the local Survivors of Torture Program at Jewish Family Services of WNY.

Virginia Barron is a professional classical-music performer, educator and administrator. She was inspired to join the board of the Karen Society of Buffalo after co-founding Buffalo String Works—whose mission is to ignite personal and community leadership through accessible youth-centered music education on Buffalo’s West Side. As many of the Buffalo String Works students are refugees from Burma, working with BSW brought her into close contact with Karen children and parents. Serving on the board of the Karen Society of Buffalo provided an ideal opportunity to further serve the community.