Lorenzo A. Watson
President and Chief Executive Officer
Lorenzo A. Watson serves as the CEO/President for the Christian Community Development Association, headquartered in Chicago, IL. He is an experienced community development professional; a leader, teacher, and scholar who has long centered his work at the intersections of wholeness, education, and Biblical justice.
For nearly two decades, Lorenzo worked in Research, Development, and Technology at North Carolina State University (NCSU). While at NCSU, he led the Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering information technology department and provided strategic oversight in information technology to multiple campuses. In addition to supporting world-renowned faculty and staff in their research development, Lorenzo also served actively as a mentor to student leaders. Lorenzo has served as the Director of Communications and Marketing for CCDA, providing a critical communications roadmap for the association. He has been instrumental in planning the CCDA national conference and helped guide the office team through its first virtual conference during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Lorenzo has also directed the vibrant work of Education and Equipping for CCDA.
Lorenzo holds a BS from North Carolina State University in Computer Engineering, an MDiv from Shaw University Divinity School, and is a PhD candidate in Educational Research and Policy Analysis at NCSU. He and his spouse of 18 years, Natarsha P. Sanders, reside and serve as “community pastors” in the Doyle community of Kerrville, Texas. Lorenzo’s proven skills in multi-ethnic organizational leadership, management, and coaching, as well as his pastoral giftings and scholarship, have helped create environments of inclusion and belonging in every space to which he has been called.
