Clair has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Clark Atlanta University and a master’s degree in community counseling from Argosy University. She is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC) and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in the state of Maryland. As an Academy Fellow, Clair served as Workforce Strategist for Associated Black Charities where she was responsible for overseeing the implementation of the organization’s workforce strategy and working with the leadership team to develop, design, and implement innovative workforce strategies to help ABC achieve its mission. This includes oversight of the Volunteer Career Mentoring program, the Board Pipeline Professional Leadership Development training, implementing an incumbent worker strategy in the STEM sectors and bridging the gap between workforce and racial equity through a newly formed “Community of Practice” for workforce practitioners. In Clair’s previous role, she was the program director for Maryland New Directions (MND), where she was responsible for the day-to-day management of the organization, oversaw all training activities for staff and clients, provided one-on-one counseling services for individuals struggling with grief, loss, trauma, depression, or challenges due to unemployment, and supervised and guided a team of six direct service providers, as well as graduate-level counseling interns.
Some of Clair’s most notable accomplishments include:
- 2012 – Clair developed MND’s first industry-specific program which now enrolls over 100 people per year. This program, known as the Maritime, Transportation, Distribution and Logistics (MTDL) training program, prepares Baltimore city residents for entry level employment in the transportation industry and affords many Baltimore city residents an opportunity to earn industry-recognized certifications, along with family-sustaining wages.
- 2014 – Clair was awarded the “Rising Star Achievement Award for Nonprofit Public Service” by the Maryland Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration. This award is given to an individual in the non-profit sector, public or government sector who has completed an outstanding accomplishment or sustained a high level of performance that has resulted in a significant contribution to public service.
- 2015 – Clair participated in the “Weinberg Sector Skills Academy” for workforce development professionals in Baltimore City. This group of 15 workforce professionals was hand-picked by foundation and workforce leaders in Baltimore. Its training prepared Clair for systems change in workforce development and working with targeted industry leaders to initiate these changes. At the closing retreat, Clair was voted by her peers most likely to be a major foundation funder, which is a testament to Clair’s accomplishments and passion for positive systems change.
- 2016 – Clair was nominated and won the “Superstar Award” from the Superstar Foundation. This award recognized human service professionals and leaders who effectively used data to improve their programming
Clair has presented at numerous conferences and facilitated professional workshops on various topics including, but not limited to: Using Data to Inform Programming; Initial Student Assessment: The First Rung in the Ladder of Learning; Career Counseling: A Safe Alternative for African Americans; and Effective Case Management in the Non-Profit Sector.
Clair Watson is a member of the Weinberg Sector Skills Academy Class of 2015, one of several Workforce Leadership Academies in localities across North America.
The Workforce Leadership Academies are part of the Economic Opportunity Fellows Network, a network of leadership and fellowship programs run by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. Within this Network, EOP connects national and local leaders from across sectors — nonprofit, government, business, philanthropy, academia, and more — to advance policies and practices with the potential to help low- and moderate-income Americans thrive in today’s economy. Learn more at as.pn/eofn.