COALITION MEMBERS

Watchen Harris Bruce, has more than 30 years of banking, finance, economic and business development, affordable housing, and leadership experience. Watchen took over the leadership of the organization effective January 15, 2020. She has extensive experience, both nationally and internationally. She was CEO of Africa New Frontier, Inc., an entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion company, and she served as Chief of Party/Country Director of the USAID Investing for Business Expansion (IBEX) project, an access to finance and business development project in Liberia.

In the United States, Watchen was Vice President of Community Development for Fleet Bank in Boston, and she served as a business banker and business development officer with leading U.S. Commercial banks, including PNC Bank, JP Morgan Chase, and Bank of America. Watchen was a Sr. Financial Management Consultant for Affordable Housing @ NeighborWorks America. She served as Senior Project & Finance Manager of Affordable Housing for the City of Boston. And she was a Grant Reviewer for the US Department of Treasury CDFI Fund. Watchen is pursuing a doctorate in Organizational Development & Leadership through Grand Canyon University. She holds a Master’s in Business Management from Cambridge College in Massachusetts, and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Community Planning & Management from the University of Massachusetts and in French from the University of Abidjan on the Ivory Coast. Watchen was honored as one of 100 Top Women Leaders in Baltimore and was a graduate of Leadership Boston.