Members of the MBK Alliance Advisory Council, working in partnership with the Obama Foundation Board of Directors, provide strategic guidance to MBK Alliance and Obama Foundation leadership and serve as ambassadors in their respective industries and communities. Members help shape programming, define and track measures of success, forge cross-sector partnerships, and help amplify the importance of our mission as well as stories of inspiration and hope from MBK youth and community leaders nationwide.
As Deputy Secretary of Education and Secretary of Education, John B. King, Jr. was a principal member of President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, given the department's role as lead agency for the Task Force. As an educator, administrator, and Cabinet member, John has been a consistent champion to ensure clear pathways to education and employment for boys and young men of color.
Through their family foundation, Demond Martin and his wife Kia have focused their efforts on addressing the gaps created by racial and social injustice, with an emphasis in education and healthcare. They have been deeply engaged in many great initiatives, including the Martin Scholars at UNC-Charlotte, the King Boston memorial, the Tonia Taylor Fund for Health Equity at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and the BSI program at the Berklee College of Music. Additionally, Demond recently joined the Obama Foundation’s Board of Directors.
We look forward to John and Demond’s contributions to the MBK Advisory Council and are certain that their astounding track record of success, unique experiences and commitment to the mission of the MBK Alliance will lead to even greater impact for boys and young men of color and their families.
“Being a part of President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Task Force as U.S. Secretary of Education was an honor, as it is to join the MBK Alliance Advisory Council,” said John King, Jr. “When our boys and young men of color receive an excellent and equitable education and have access to strong and caring mentors, they thrive. I look forward to working with the Alliance to ensure that young people served by MBK initiatives and in MBK communities can reach their incredible potential.”
“Through MBK, President Obama has a clear and effective blueprint to raise up leaders who will create lasting change in communities throughout our country,” said Demond Martin. “The investment that MBK is making in the lives of boys and young men of color is one of the highest return opportunities in America. I look forward to joining MBK in this most important effort.”
John and Demond will work alongside the other members of the MBK Alliance Advisory Council, which includes: Angelique Albert, Executive Director, American Indian Graduate Center; Tom Geddes, Partner, Brown Advisory; Karol Mason, President, John Jay College of Criminal Justice; Malachi Hernandez, Former MBK-Boston Youth Member and Mobile Enterprise Manager at City of Boston; Senegal Mabry, Former MBK-NY State Youth Member and Senior Policy Analyst at The Hunt Institute; Scott Budnick, Founder and President, Anti-Recidivism Coalition; Toni Cook Bush, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Government Affairs, News Corp; Arne Duncan, Managing Partner, Emerson Collective, Chicago CRED, former U.S. Secretary of Education; Walter Isaacson, Former CEO, Aspen Institute; Broderick Johnson, Senior of Counsel, Covington and Burling (Chair); George Logothetis, Chairman and CEO, Libra Group; Robert Raben, President, The Raben Group; Juan Sabater, Partner, Valor Equity Partners; Jim Shelton, Chief Investment and Impact Officer, Blue Meridian Partners; Tony West, General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer, Uber; and Lata Reddy, Senior Vice President, Diversity, Inclusion & Impact, Prudential Financial, Inc. and Chair and President, The Prudential Foundation.
Our best,
Broderick D. Johnson Chair, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Advisory Council Obama Foundation
Michael D. Smith Executive Director, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Obama Foundation
John B. King, Jr. King is the President and CEO of The Education Trust, a national nonprofit organization that seeks to identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps, from preschool through college. King served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the 10th U.S. Secretary of Education. In tapping him to lead the U.S. Department of Education, President Obama called King “an exceptionally talented educator,” citing his commitment to “preparing every child for success” and his lifelong dedication to education as a teacher, principal, and leader of schools and school systems.
Before becoming education secretary, King carried out the duties of the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education, overseeing all policies and programs related to P-12 education, English learners, special education, and innovation. In this role, King also oversaw the agency’s operations. King joined the department following his tenure as the first African American and Puerto Rican to serve as New York State Education Commissioner.
Demond Martin Martin, investor and community leader, is a partner at Adage Capital Management where he has invested in the consumer sector for nearly 20 years. Demond has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Accounting from UNC Charlotte. He also served in the Clinton White House as assistant to Chief of Staff, Erskine Bowles.
Demond and his wife Kia have focused their philanthropic efforts on addressing the gaps created by racial and social injustice, with emphasis in education and healthcare. Through their family foundation, Demond and Kia have been deeply engaged in many great initiatives, including the Martin Scholars at UNC Charlotte, the King Boston memorial, the Tonia Taylor Fund for Health Equity at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and the BSI program at Berklee College of Music. Demond is currently a trustee of the Berklee College of Music and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
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