Alan Gumbel became the Chief Operating Officer of the Black Business Association of Memphis (BBA Memphis) in January 2023. Alan brings years of executive and senior leadership to his role; having served as Executive Director of the Memphis Academy of Health Sciences, the Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce, and Deputy Director of Programs of the City of Memphis Workforce Investment Network.  

In addition to his senior leadership roles, Alan has extensive experience planning, developing, managing, and evaluating community economic development and workforce development programs in the Mid-South and across the nation as a business owner and consultant. Alan spent his early career establishing programs that supported technology transfer for Arkansas-based businesses for the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority before moving to Memphis and working as a policy analyst for the Lower Mississippi Delta Development Commission. Mr. Gumbel earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Emporia State University in Kansas.

Alan has served his community as a board member of the Southeast Memphis Community Development Corporation, Whitehaven Community Development Corporation, Family Services of the Mid-South and Memphis Center for Independent Living. He is a graduate of Leadership Memphis Executive Program (2018). He also serves as a Tennessee state coordinator of the Delta Grassroots Caucus that promotes community and economic development in the eight state Delta region.

Alan is excited to join the BBA Memphis team and sees it as an opportunity to merge his personal passion for small business development with his executive nonprofit experience in service of a greater and more prosperous Memphis.

Jasmine Bowden is a strategic planner and servant leader with experience in developing programs, cultivating partnerships, and managing logistics for nonprofits, political action committees, and community development organizations. Drawing from an urban sociology lens, Bowden has an interest in economic development, resiliency planning, and cultural preservation. She holds a Master of City and Regional Planning from the University of Memphis and a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies and Sociology from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Jasmine is an alum of both the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Emerging Leaders and American University’s WeLead campaign training program. The Black Business Association of Memphis (BBA) recently named Bowden as its Grant Manager where she will oversee its new Business Booster Program which provides technical assistance and comprehensive training to aid local restaurant, food, tourism, and hospitality businesses. Previously, Bowden served as the Program Manager for The Works, Inc. where she convened and developed programming for the Blight Elimination Steering Team (BEST), Strategic Code Enforcement Management Academy (SCEMA), and oversaw the Good Neighbor Grant for commercial property improvements. Prior to her role at The Works, Bowden gained experience in Washington, DC where she convened national organizations to push for equitable access to sexual and reproductive health care services for communities of color. During the 2018 election cycle, Jasmine coordinated supporter events, resulting in the (re)election of 34 members of Congress and more than 300 candidates to state and local offices across the country.Outside her professional commitments, Jasmine enjoys curating social gatherings, hiking, and serving others. She is an active member of Memphis Urban League Young Professionals, a Gen Next PAC Board Member, and a Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium Wisdom Councilmember.