Senior Vice President, Programs

As Senior Vice President of Programs at the National Urban League, Don Bowen leads the organization's programmatic efforts to assist African American individuals and communities reach their full potential.

Bowen's Urban League tenure spans over twenty-one years. He first joined the Urban League in Charlotte, North Carolina in November, 1984 as a Program Director and was appointed Vice President of Programs in 1985. In 1991 he moved to Fort Lauderdale to lead the Urban League of Broward County. Under his innovative and principle-centered leadership, the Urban League of Broward County became one of the strongest, most effective and financially empowered affiliates in the country.

In Broward County, Bowen is widely regarded as the architect of the Urban League's Campaign for Change in 33311; a comprehensive effort to empower a community, build social capital among its residents, and develop its children to world class standards. Bowen first came to the National Urban League in September 2005 as an Executive on Loan responsible for the League's Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts.

A New Jersey native, Mr. Bowen obtained a Master's Degree in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University. In addition to his Urban League tenure, Bowen's post-graduate experience includes positions as a marital and family therapist, Director of the Upward Bound Program at Johnson C. Smith University and Training Director for Mecklenburg County Government.

Bowen's experience in human and community services administration has provided him extensive and varied knowledge of all facets of community problem-solving. He has served on and chaired numerous not for profit Boards and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Florida State Boxing Commission. He also has served as Chair of the City of Hollywood's Racial Justice Task Force, the Board of Governors for Nova Southeastern University's School of Business and Entrepreneurship, past President of the United Way Council of Agency Executives, commissioner of the One Florida Accountability Commission, commissioner on the State of Florida's Affordable Housing Commission, past President of the Southern Regional Association of Urban League Executives, a member of the Board of Directors of the South Florida Annenberg Challenge, Washington Mutual's Florida Community Advisory Council and Office Depot's Diversity Council.