(Le Floridien) — With over fifteen years of experience in politics and nonprofit organizations, Haitian American Coral Springs Commissioner Nancy Metayer Bowen has consistently been recognized as a talented leader. This week, the Harris campaign appointed her as its Florida Caribbean Vote Director, where she will lead voter-engagement efforts in Florida’s Caribbean communities for the current vice president and Democratic presidential nominee.
In her first official statement after the appointment, she said, “I am honored and excited to help amplify Caribbean American support for Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s White House bid. This campaign is about inclusivity and making sure that every community’s voice is heard.”
Nancy Metayer Bowen has been a resident of Coral Springs for over 20 years. On November 3, 2020, she made political history by becoming the first Black and Haitian American woman elected to the Coral Springs City Commission. She was re-elected unopposed last June, retaining her Seat 3 on the commission, where her three core issues are economic growth, public safety, and sustainability.
Her political career began in 2011 with back-to-back internships at the White House under Barack Obama and at former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s office in Tallahassee. Metayer earned her Bachelor of Science from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and her master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health.
As an environmental scientist, Metayer Bowen has worked for several nonprofit organizations and government agencies, responding to multiple hurricanes in recent years and contributing to the Florida Disaster Preparedness Plan. Between 2014 and 2016, she managed health and relief efforts in Haiti from Port-au-Prince before assuming several roles in Broward government, including District 1 Supervisor of the Broward Soil and Water Conservation District and Community Engagement Liaison for the City of Tamarac.
She also spent two and a half years working on climate justice with the Miami nonprofit New Florida Majority before taking her current role in December 2019 as Florida Coalition Manager for NEO Philanthropy, a nonprofit formerly known as Public Interest Projects, which InfluenceWatch describes as a “fiscal clearinghouse for left-of-center causes.”
The 36-year-old Haitian American also serves as Florida Coalition Manager for the National Institute for Reproductive Health’s State Infrastructure Project.
In May, Metayer Bowen co-authored an opinion column in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel discussing how Florida’s six-week abortion ban disproportionately affects Black Floridians.
“We must recognize that this ban is not just a matter of policy but a profound infringement on the autonomy and dignity of those already marginalized by systemic injustices,” she wrote. “As more states limit reproductive rights, we need a federal abortion rights policy.”
Metayer Bowen is already actively cultivating a stronger support base for the Harris-Walz campaign in South Florida. Last Friday, she collaborated with the Haitian-led grassroots initiative Ayisyen Pou Harris to open a new campaign office in North Miami Beach.
“By fostering strong connections with community leaders, organizers, and constituents,” she told The Miami Times, “we aim to build a coalition that not only supports Harris but also champions policies that reflect the values and aspirations of the Caribbean American community.”
