Staff

Breante Coleman is a dedicated community leader and violence prevention advocate who serves as the Connections Coordinator at Urban Alliance. His journey is defined by resilience and personal transformation, having navigated the foster care system and served nine years in prison before dedicating his life to accountability and community service. As a survivor of community…

Montana joined the Urban Alliance team in 2024 after working at multiple non-profits in both Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, including a non-profit that she founded. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University in Visual Arts and a Master’s degree from Michigan State University in Arts and Cultural Management. Montana is passionate about the…

Jeff grew up in the neighborhoods of Kalamazoo before starting his first career as an autoworker. His journey in outreach and volunteering began in 2014, leading him to officially join the Urban Alliance team in 2024. This work helps him maintain the energy and bustle he grew up with. “We meet people where they are,”…

Michael joined Urban Alliance in 2023. Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, he moved to Detroit as a teen and has overcome several hardships that inspired his moving into the public service world. Michael believes it’s important to draw strength from the hard lessons learned in life, as they are reminders of when we could…

Denise is an Executive Assistant / HR Generalist with over 15 years of executive-level support, bringing a wealth of administrative knowledge to drive people operations. She graduated from Western Michigan University with a bachelor’s in Business Administration and worked in various industries prior to joining Urban Alliance in 2023. Outside of work, Denise is actively…

Terra joined Urban Alliance as the Executive Director in 2023 after serving more than five years on its Board of Directors. With a career dedicated to maternal and child health services, she previously served as the Program Supervisor for Kalamazoo County’s Healthy Babies Healthy Start and 4Dad Fatherhood programs. Terra specializes in the development and…

Lorena Hostiguin joined Urban Alliance in early 2023. Originally from Texas, she has overcome many obstacles including drug use, group and domestic violence, and incarceration. Along with her higher power, Lorena credits her success today to her parents as they have always expressed unconditional love and support. Through her position at Urban Alliance, she looks…

Madison moved to Kalamazoo in August of 2020 from Florida, where she resided for almost 10 years, and during that time she received her Bachelor’s of Social Work from University of South Florida. She has been a Support Coordinator at Urban Alliance since August 2022 after working in the child welfare field, and other non-profits…

Alejandro was born in Brownsville, TX. At the age of 6, a family tragedy caused him and his family to move to Kalamazoo. Due to situations and circumstances around him, Alejandro began using drugs at an early age, joined a gang, and became caught up in a life of crime. While this lifestyle led him…

‘Big B’ was born and raised in Osceola, Arkansas but for the last several years has called Kalamazoo home. Struggling through an early life of poverty, B became a member of the Gangster Disciples gang and got caught up in a life of crime. Eventually that life landed him in prison. Happily, that was just…