Executive Committee

Kate Kelly, Executive Director

Kate Kelly became Executive Director of the Supportive Housing Association of New Jersey (SHA) in 2025 after joining the organization in 2021 to lead its Integrated Community Project and then serve as its Associate Executive Director. She dedicates her work to advance SHA’s mission to strengthen supportive housing and expand opportunities for people with special needs across New Jersey.

Kate brings over twenty-five years of non-profit experience in housing policy and advocacy. At Monarch Housing Associates, she directed public policy and communications efforts focused on ending homelessness. Her efforts with the Partnership for Strong Communities in Connecticut expanded supportive housing access.

As a connector and advocate, Kate builds partnerships across sectors and centers the voices of people with lived experience. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Government from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Connecticut.

Shelby Blair, Associate Executive Director

Joining SHA in 2026, Shelby Blair is a nonprofit and public-sector professional with experience in affordable housing, community development, grant administration, and program management. Her work has included overseeing federally funded housing and community development initiatives, supporting nonprofit organizations, managing grants and compliance, and developing programs designed to strengthen communities and expand access to resources. Shelby is particularly passionate about building partnerships across government, nonprofit, and community organizations to address housing and social service needs. She brings experience in strategic planning, program development, organizational capacity building, and community engagement. Shelby is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration at Rutgers University and holds a certification as a New Jersey Certified Affordable Housing Professional.

Joseph Christensen, Communication & Membership Manager

Joining SHA in 2018, Joseph’s experience assisting the non-profit world includes work with housing, food accessibility, workers’ rights, access to the arts, and supportive services. Committed to the mission of SHA, Joseph launched the weekly newsletter, The SHAre. He has supported SHA’s community through resources like the Affordable Housing Data Project, reports from SHA’s Integrated Community Project, and a variety of other media and publications. With focus on building responsive collaborations, Joseph seeks additional opportunities to grow and support the SHA member community. Joseph earned a Master’s Degree in Public and Organizational Relations from Montclair State University.

Kate Leahy, Program Manager, Special Projects

Kate Leahy joined the staff of SHA in 2021 to guide the development and growth of SHA’s Housing Navigator Project and now leads SHA's technical assistance work with the NJ Department of Community Affairs' Field Office Housing Navigators. Kate brings nearly 20 years of experience working in New York and New Jersey on supportive housing and other efforts to end homelessness. Her seven years at Breaking Ground, the largest provider of street outreach and supportive housing for the chronically homeless in NYC, in a range of positions from capacity building to liaison to NYC's Department of Homeless Services, helped her to develop a foundational understanding of the concepts of supportive housing and housing first. Since moving to NJ, she has worked for over 10 years with the NJ Coalition to End Homelessness where, among other accomplishments, she helped to develop an advocacy and leadership program for people with lived experience and to establish a medical respite program.  Kate holds a Master’s in Public Administration from New York University.

Denise Majka, Project Coordinator, Strengthening Inclusive Leadership Initiative

Denise Majka has 30+ years of experience in both nonprofit and for-profit organizations serving individuals with a variety of disabilities and special needs. Her experience spans direct service, administration, operations and senior leadership. Ms. Majka has been responsible for managing multi-million dollar budgets on a state and national level. She has been instrumental in growing both established and start-up organizations, involving licensing, accreditation and policy and procedure development. Additionally, Denise has been highly successful in overseeing several software implementations, including CRMs, EHRs and contract management. Ms. Majka has participated in several provider groups providing training on best practices in operations and implementation of electronic health records. Ms. Majka earned a Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University.