Dr. Bernard C. Watson, Sr., Secretary
Dr. Bernard C. Watson (Ph.D) serves as the secretary of the Watson Family Foundation. He is also Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the Barnes Foundation. Until 2004, he was a Presidential Scholar at Temple University, an appointment made following his retirement at the end of 1993 as President and Chief Executive Officer of the William Penn Foundation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He assumed that position in 1981 after a distinguished career as an educator, a career in which he served as a teacher and administrator in the public schools in Indiana, Deputy Superintendent of the Philadelphia public schools, Professor of Urban Studies and Urban Education, and Academic Vice President of Temple University.
Dr. Watson has served on six corporate boards including First Fidelity Bancorp, the Philadelphia Contributionship Companies and, until 2003, Comcast Corporation. He also has served as Senior Vice Chairman of the Board of the National Urban League, Chairman of the Board of the Healthcare Management Alternatives Foundation and both Chair and Vice Chairman of the Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority Board. He was a member of the United Negro College Fund’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute Advisory Committee and served on the board of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund USA, Inc.
A veteran of the Korean War, he enlisted in the Air Force as a Basic Airman and was discharged as a First Lieutenant. He was appointed to National Councils by three U.S Presidents.
Dr. Watson is the author of three books, 11 monographs, chapters in 31 books, and 33 articles in professional journals. He is the recipient of more than 100 major awards including the prestigious Philadelphia Award for year 2001. He is also the recipient of 25 honorary degrees, and is a member of the American Philosophical Society. Temple University established the endowed Bernard C. Watson Chair in Urban Education.
Dr. Watson earned his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. He and his wife, Lois, are the parents of two children, Barbra, an attorney, and Bernard, Jr., a journalist.