A life long Bay Area resident, Emily Downey (she/her) has a Master’s in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley, concentrating on Strengthening Organizations & Communities, and a Bachelors in Social Work from San Jose State University. She has worked in settings such as Intensive Home Based Services (IHBS) and transitional housing, serving those affected by behavioral and mental health, homelessness, substance use, and intimate partner, family and community violence. During that time, she developed training and support protocols for entry level staff, created an aftercare program for women and their children who exit transitional housing, and produced internal policy that equitably compensates and integrates lived experience into Contra Costa County’s Continuum of Care.
Emily is passionate about building organizational capacity to create a sustainable and care centered workforce. While in her final year in her MSW program, Emily received the 2024 Ralph M. Kramer Award for her leadership role in developing and launching a mixed methods study with BSW/MSW students on their perceptions of and interest in county internships and employment. During her time at BASSC she has led research studies and initiatives addressing recruitment and retention issues faced by human services agencies in the Bay Area, as well as provided support to the BASSC workforce development programs: the Executive Development Program and the Supervisor’s Learning Collaborative.
Emily has extensive experience in facilitating collaborative working relationships across sectors, breaking down silos to increase information sharing and collective power. She successfully facilitated a Lived Experience Working Group that created and implemented a Participant Satisfaction Survey for those experiencing homelessness and utilizing services in Contra Costa County’s Continuum of Care to improve service delivery at contracted service sites. Additionally, she leads projects in collaboration with many regional BASSC groups, including the Research, Planning and Evaluation Committee, Adults Services Committee, and the Bay Area Human Services Committee.
When not working, Emily volunteers at her children's school by chairing the Parent Faculty Club or is locked away with a book every chance she can get.
