Cornell William Brooks is a civil rights leader, attorney, professor, and ordained minister whose career bridges activism, scholarship, and faith. A former president and CEO of the NAACP (2014–2017), he is currently Hauser Professor of the Practice of Nonprofit Organizations and Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership and Social Justice at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he also directs the William Monroe Trotter Collaborative for Social Justice. He additionally serves as Visiting Professor of the Practice of Prophetic Religion and Public Leadership at Harvard Divinity School.
Under his leadership at the NAACP, Brooks secured 12 significant legal victories, expanded membership—particularly among younger generations—and conceived the 1,000-mile “America’s Journey for Justice” march from Selma to Washington, D.C. He was present on the ground in Ferguson, Flint, and other flashpoints of protest and advocacy. Previously, as head of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, he led the passage of six major criminal justice and housing reform bills. His earlier legal career included posts at the U.S. Department of Justice, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the Federal Communications Commission.
Through the Trotter Collaborative, Brooks has partnered with governors, cities, and community groups to advance voting rights, transform criminal legal systems, and produce equitable responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, he received the Harvard Kennedy School’s Innovations in Teaching Award for his pioneering pedagogy.
Brooks holds degrees from Jackson State University, Boston University School of Theology (where he was a Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholar), and Yale Law School, where he was senior editor of the Yale Law Journal. A fourth-generation ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Brooks continues to inspire audiences with his teaching, writing, and advocacy for justice.
Graduate of Jackson State University, Boston University, and Yale.
Fourth-generation ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Served as judicial clerk for Chief Judge Sam Ervin.
Democratic nominee for Virginia’s 10th District Congressional seat, 1998.
Past president of New Jersey Institute for Social Justice.
Early leadership role, Fair Housing Council of Greater Washington.
Senior counsel at Federal Communications Commission, promoting equity.
Directed FCC’s Office of Communication Business Opportunities nationally.
Led “America’s Journey for Justice” march, Selma to Washington.
Active presence in Ferguson, Flint, Staten Island protests.
Frequently speaks at conferences, churches, and global summits.
Regularly featured on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, national broadcasts.
Partnered with eight cities to reform public safety policies.
Delivered Harvard Kennedy School lectures connecting theory with practice.
President and CEO of NAACP from 2014–2017.
Secured twelve major NAACP legal victories during leadership.
Expanded NAACP membership, especially among millennials, online supporters.
Awarded Harvard Kennedy School Innovations in Teaching Award, 2022.
Spearheaded reparations advocacy and race-equitable COVID responses.
Secured record race discrimination settlement at Department of Justice.
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