Alphonso Jackson

The Honorable Alphonso R. Jackson, a Howard board member since 2013, served from 2004 to 2008 as the 13th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, guiding its mission of providing affordable housing and promoting economic development, an assignment to which he brought more than 25 years of experience in both the private and public sectors. He is senior advisor to the chief executive officer (retired) of First Data Corporation, a global company that provides electronic commerce and payment solutions. He is a former vice-chairman with JPMorgan Chase Corporate in New York City. His responsibilities included improving internal control functions and enhancing the bank's regulatory relationships with government by prioritizing and addressing regulatory issues. He also worked with regulators to develop and propose better solutions to overly complex rule making, and interacted with Congress and governmental regulatory bodies addressing the issue of "Too Big to Fail”. Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase, he served as the distinguished university professor and director of the Center for Public Policy and Leadership at Hampton University. He first joined the Bush Administration in June of 2001 as HUD's deputy secretary and chief operating officer, managing day-to-day operations of the $32 billion agency and instilling a new commitment to ethics and accountability. Immediately preceding his appointment at HUD, he was president of American Electric Power-Texas, a $13 billion utility company in Austin, Texas. From 1989 to 1996, he was president and CEO of the Housing Authority of Dallas, Texas. He was director of the Department of Public and Assisted Housing in Washington, D.C., and also served as chair of the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency Board. An expert on public housing and urban issues, he has served on a number of national and state commissions, most notably the General Services Commission of the State of Texas, as chairman; the National Commission on America's Urban Families; and the National Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing. Numerous nonprofit and corporate boards have benefitted from his expertise. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and a Master of Arts degree in education administration from Truman State University. He received a law degree from Washington University School of Law.