Who I Am
Growing Up
I was raised in Central Florida, the son of an air traffic controller and a flight attendant. While I wasn’t raised in Buffalo, I sure was raised by Buffalo: my dad is a native Buffalonian who worked for three decades for the FAA, including many years as union treasurer, and he passed on to me his love of Buffalo and the Bills. Every Sunday in the fall was like clockwork: the whole family went to Mass at 11 AM, popped home to change into Bills gear, and got to the Orlando Bills Backers Bar in time for 1 PM kickoff.
At 18, I followed in my brother Adam’s footsteps and joined the Navy, beginning life as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy on July 1, 2010. I loved being in the Navy, despite starting before the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and I was so excited for the opportunity to lead sailors as a Submarine Officer.
At 22, however, just one month before graduating from Annapolis in 2014, life threw me a curveball: I was diagnosed as HIV-positive, and Department of Defense policy at the time barred me from commissioning as a naval officer. The diagnosis was very hard to deal with, but I’m not sure which was harder: the shame and stigma I felt around HIV, or the shame and stigma I felt from not commissioning with my classmates. I did my best to move forward with life as a civilian while also seeking from the Navy an exception to policy and a waiver to commission. My waiver request was ultimately denied in 2017.
Learning to Fight—and Win
At 26, I became the named plaintiff in a 2018 lawsuit challenging the Pentagon’s HIV policies. I would be lying if I said I thought we had a realistic shot at success—however, I knew I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do everything I could to prevent another cadet or midshipman from going through what I went through. Despite those long odds, our team succeeded in 2022 in securing the policy changes we sought. The lawsuit was settled in 2024, clearing the way for me and others like me to commission after a decade-long battle.
At 32, I finally commissioned as a Supply Corps Officer in the Navy Reserve in a ceremony at the Buffalo Naval Park, raising my right hand to swear once again to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Professional & Personal Life
Alongside my Navy Reserve service, I lead Community Sourcing at M&T Bank, working with internal and external stakeholders to foster inclusion of local businesses in the bank’s supply chain. In addition to my Bachelor’s degree from the Naval Academy, I also earned a Master’s in Public Policy and a Master’s in Business Administration in 2020, both from the University of Minnesota.
My husband Jake and I live on the West Side of Buffalo with our two dogs, Sailor and Henry. Whenever the very good boys need a back yard to run around in, we hop on the Skyway to visit Jake’s parents in the Town of Hamburg.
I am also proud to be a parishioner and cantor at Holy Cross Catholic Church on the Lower West Side and a member of the Erie County Democratic Committee. I don’t have much free time since starting my Navy Reserve service in 2024 (and even less since launching this campaign!), but back when I did, I was a very active member of WNY’s thriving theatre scene. I have also been a member of the Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus, an incredible group that I hope to be able to have time to sing with again in the future.
Kevin is a Navy reservist. Use of his military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense.
Kevin is an employee of M&T Bank. Reference to his employment status and role does not imply endorsement by M&T Bank or its PAC.
why i fight
Let’s face it: the world has been feeling pretty grim lately. Our politics and society have gone through massive changes over the past decade—many, if not most, for the worse. Our economic systems are under enormous stress, laying bare acute short- and long-term crises of affordability and sustainability. Respect for democracy and the rule of law is on the decline in many corners, while political violence seems to be on the rise. Trust in our institutions to serve us well has cratered, while the relentless targeting of social media algorithms and onslaught of AI-generated content loosen our collective grip on reality and sense of shared humanity.
It can all feel very overwhelming. Reasonable people might be tempted to disengage from politics as a solution, and I wouldn’t blame them. But personally, that’s just not how I’m wired.
If you know anything about what I’ve been through in life, one thing is clear: I’m not afraid to run head-first into the fight. And even in the face of institutions as powerful as the Pentagon, I’ve not just fought—I’ve won. That seemingly impossible battle and others since taught me this:
When the odds are long, but the fight is right—you don’t back down. You double down.
In Western New York, we understand this very clearly. I’m running to bring this clarity to Albany, and to remind folks there why they called us the Empire State in the first place: We used to do big things here! And it is in our power to decide to do big things once again—this time, by running head-first into the fight to change the unaffordable and unsustainable status quo we’re living in.
I look around and see the most fundamental building blocks of the American Dream slipping further out of reach for more and more people across Western New York. From healthcare, to housing, to childcare and beyond, my generation and those after us do not have the same opportunities to build a stable, affordable life that our parents had.
We’re in a make-or-break moment, and what we need from Albany is courageous, bold, and competent leadership that fights for and delivers ground-up reform and real results for working families.
So, that’s why I’m running. Yes, I will work my butt off to deliver State investment in our district. But I’m asking you to send me to Albany to also build bridges and push our political leaders to imagine how they can be the heroes we all need in this moment. I’m asking you to elect me and hold me to my commitment to galvanize political will in Albany to do big things to improve the lives of Western New Yorkers and folks across our state. And I’m asking you to believe that as dark as this current political era is, this, too, shall pass—and it starts by sending a message loud and clear that we expect Albany to meet this moment with proactive, pragmatic, progressive reform.
I recognize that the state of the world might not seem to warrant much optimism. Keeping the faith in times like these might feel like a tall order. But if we’re choosing to stop fighting, we’re choosing to give up—and despite the challenges our community has faced over the generations, Western New Yorkers have never, ever given up. Neither have I—and if you give me a chance, I will never stop fighting for Western New York’s working families.
So, in the (slightly abridged) words of John Lennon and Yoko Ono:
”All we are saying is…Give Deese a Chance.”