Colvin W. Grannum has served as president of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (“Restoration”) since March 2001. Restoration is the nation’s first community development corporation, founded by community leaders, and United States Senators Robert Kennedy and Jacob Javits in 1967. Restoration owns and manages a 300,000 square feet commercial and cultural center in the heart of Central Brooklyn, which is home to the Billie Holiday Theatre, the Skylight Gallery, and several major retailers. In addition, Restoration provides services and programs in the areas of arts and education, including the Restoration Information Technology Education (RITE) Center, the Youth Arts Academy and the Restoration Dance Theater, and economic development, including the Restoration Capital Fund and the Business Resource Center. Restoration also operates 1000 residential units, and several initiatives to bring commercial revitalization and neighborhood tourism to Central Brooklyn, particularly Fulton Street and vicinity. Under Mr. Grannum’s leadership, Restoration is experiencing a robust resurgence. New businesses including a state-of-the-art Super Foodtown supermarket, Duane Reade, Applebee’s, Washington Mutual Bank, and Columbia University School of Public Health have joined the Commercial Center tenant roster. In addition, BSRC’s community programs in the areas of youth education, workforce development and housing development are experiencing growth.
Prior to joining Restoration, Mr. Grannum served as a founding director and the chief executive officer of Bridge Street Development Corporation (BSDC), a faith-based not-for-profit community development corporation affiliated with Bridge Street African Methodist Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, New York. Bridge Street Church is one of the oldest African-American institutions in New York City. BSDC is now firmly established as a leader in housing development, homeownership preservation and financial literacy.
Mr. Grannum practiced law for over 17 years primarily as a litigation attorney before embarking on his career in community development. He has been employed by the United States Department of Justice, the New York State Attorney General, the NYNEX Corporation, and the New York City Corporation Counsel, respectively, where he held a variety of positions, and was responsible for handling and supervising litigation, including trials, appeals, and regulatory proceedings.
Born and raised in Bedford Stuyvesant, Grannum graduated from Erasmus Hall High School. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. He serves as a member of the board of directors of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the Association of Housing and Neighborhood Developers (ANHD) and the Brunswick School, Greenwich, Connecticut. He has also served on advisory boards to JP Morgan Chase, Fannie Mae, HSBC Bank and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, just to name a few.
Mr. Grannum is licensed to practice law in New York State and the District of Columbia. He has completed executive education programs at Columbia Business School; Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government; Harvard University, School of Divinity; and University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business.
Mr. Grannum is married to Sandra Jefferson Grannum, an attorney, and has one son, Jordan.
COLVIN W. GRANNUM
