The Salvation Army Welcomes New Leaders in Summit County
AKRON, OH, July 14, 2022—Major Cindy-Lou Drummond, divisional commander for The Salvation Army Northeast Ohio Division, is pleased to announce new officers to serve Summit County Area Services (SCAS) as Area Coordinators. Lt. Col. James Reynolds, the interim area coordinator, turned the keys over to Major Robert A. Watson and Captain Anita Albert-Watson, on June 29, 2022.
"We look forward to the Watsons’ service as a stable leadership resource for SCAS and a light of hope for all who walk through The Salvation Army's Maple Street doors," said Major Drummond. "The Watsons will be serving alongside Lts. Osha and Jamal Agnew-El, the Citadel Corps Officers."
Major Robert Watson was born into a Salvation Army family in Queens, NY. At age five, his parents were assigned to Akron Citadel as corps officers for about two years. He has fond memories of seeing the Soap Box Derby and learning how to play the cornet on Saturday mornings at the Citadel.
Major Bob earned his BA degree at Asbury University and his MA degree at Asbury Theological Seminary, located in Wilmore, KY. He pursued additional graduate work in Biblical Hebrew and Greek at Alliance Theological Seminary in the New York City area.
Major Watson is in his 25th year of Salvation Army officership, with 15 of those years as a corps officer, most recently in Springfield, OH. He has also had appointments at the Salvation Army Training College in Suffern, NY, and at Territorial Headquarters in the Education Department and as Director of the Mission & Culture Department. Experienced in meeting the needs of a community, he developed the City Lights and Hands On mission team programs.
Joining Major Watson is his wife of nearly 11 years, Captain Anita Albert-Watson. Capt. Anita has over 20 years of experience managing a variety of ministries and social service programs inside and outside The Salvation Army. She holds a BA in Political Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and has training as a professional Christian life and business coach.
Outside of The Salvation Army, Capt. Anita worked with the New York City's Dept of Mental Health & Hygiene as the Administrative Coordinator for Project Liberty (NYC's mental health response to 9-11). In addition, she served as the Operations Manager for a network of pregnancy centers in Florida.
While in Florida, she shaped and managed The Salvation Army Southern Territory's first residential program for survivors of human trafficking. She was the Tampa Bay-Clearwater Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force's manager and the national coordinator for the Wesleyan Holiness Consortium's Freedom Network. Her Salvation Army corps appointments include Brooklyn Bay Ridge; Lexington, KY; Perth Amboy, NJ, and Springfield, OH.
Major Bob and Capt. Anita have been married for almost 11 years and enjoy spending time with family, including their two granddaughters.
The Salvation Army in Summit County is located at 190 South Maple Street in Akron, and the Watsons may be reached for interviews at 330-762-8481.