Alphonso David

Alphonso David, one of America’s foremost civil rights attorneys and a life-long advocate for social and
economic justice, serves as the President & CEO of the Global Black Economic Forum. Alphonso brings
more than two decades of experience in the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors, where he has worked
to advance the rights of marginalized communities through policy, legislation, litigation, and advocacy.
As a business leader, Alphonso was instrumental in creating one of the most sought-after addiction treatment
centers in the United States. In public service, he helped to transform broken systems that impeded the lives of
the most vulnerable, including restructuring the workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance systems
in the State of New York to reduce inefficiencies and deficits that had plagued these vital social safety nets for
decades. As a non-profit leader, he created and expanded groundbreaking programs for marginalized
communities, including an impact litigation program to advance the rights of LGBTQ+ people and an HIV &
Health Equity Program to address the disproportionately high rates of HIV among black and brown
communities throughout the nation.
As an advocate, Alphonso has worked on a myriad of issues including racial and economic justice, immigrants’
rights and LGBTQ+ equality. Further, during his time in public service for the State of
New York, Alphonso was instrumental in drafting and advancing landmark legislation that removed legal
barriers allowing same-sex couples to marry, paving the way for the United States Supreme Court to rule in
favor of marriage equality nationally. Now, as President & CEO of the Global Black Economic Forum, Alphonso is focused on reimagining what diversity, equity, inclusion, and opportunity looks like in corporate America, as well as achieving the notion of
economic justice for the Black diaspora globally.