Since January 2006, Curtis Archer has served as President of the Harlem Community Development Corporation. He sees his role as essential in enhancing the economic climate for both businesses and residents in the Greater Harlem community. 

In 1989, Curtis began his career in community development in the New York City Office of Business Development under Mayor David Dinkins, as a Development Manager in the Neighborhood Development and Commercial Revitalization Program. It was there that he got a real taste for a career in public service in the field of community and economic development. 

Curtis, a native New Yorker, was born in the Morrisania section of the Bronx. His early education included attendance at the prestigious Stuyvesant High School for Math and Science. After graduating from there in ‘75, he went to Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, where he played varsity basketball, and graduated with a degree in sociology and criminal justice. He later attended Columbia University as a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science. 

Curtis has been the recipient of many awards and citations throughout his career.