Dr. Akilah Watkins

Dr. Akilah Watkins is president and CEO of Independent Sector. She leads the only national membership organization that brings together a diverse community of changemakers, nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs working to strengthen civil society and ensure all people in the United States thrive.

With 25 years as a national thought leader, community organizer, and nonprofit executive, Dr. Watkins’ expertise includes nonprofit leadership and advocacy, equity in the nonprofit sector, and community development. Prior to Independent Sector, Dr. Watkins led the Center for Community Progress, the nation’s leading nonprofit dedicated to helping state and local governments turn vacant properties into vibrant places. She has served as an executive leader for nonprofit and community development initiatives in the Obama Administration, NeighborWorks America, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the Center for the Study of Social Policy.

She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology from the University of Illinois at Chicago.