Board Update: David Brown

NCYL Board Member & Annie E. Casey Foundation Senior Fellow

“It’s been an honor to serve on NCYL’s Board with David. He embodies NCYL’s values, is a true advocate for and ally to youth, and has made an indelible impact on NCYL’s work to uplift youth voices, transform juvenile justice systems, and strengthen its policy and programmatic work. Thank you, David!”

- NCYL Board Member & Director of Government Relations, National Center for State Courts Chris Wu

A youth advocate, expert on youth development, juvenile justice and youth employment, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation Juvenile Justice Strategy Group Senior Associate, David has dedicated 21 years of his 47-year career in youth work to NCYL as a Board Member. When David first joined the board, he was the Executive Director of the National Youth Employment Coalition, leading policy and advocacy efforts to connect youth workforce development systems to juvenile justice systems and to reauthorize youth provisions of the federal Workforce Investment Act. During his NCYL Board term, David became the Deputy Director of the Washington DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services where he integrated workforce and youth development into this juvenile justice agency and later joined the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Justice Strategy Group. 

David has been instrumental in guiding and supporting NCYL’s expansion while ensuring we remain grounded in our strengths-based, youth-centered values. As one of NCYL’s board members with legislative advocacy expertise, David has helped NCYL expand its work beyond litigation, encouraging and advising NCYL as we adopted new strategies to transform systems impacting the lives of youth. In particular, David’s deep understanding of and connections in juvenile justice system reform made him a vital strategic partner and mentor to countless NCYL staff, especially those working in policy advocacy and community power building to promote equitable, community-driven, health-centered supports for youth and families. Most recently, David supported NCYL in navigating and securing funding from The Annie E. Casey Foundation to bring the successful model employed by our Youth Justice Initiative in California to Colorado. 
 
As Chair of NCYL’s Board Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, David has dedicated his efforts to upholding and building inclusive policies, practices, and culture at NCYL and to help formalize a process to actively and formally engage impacted young adults in the governance of the organization.
 
David has upheld and amplified NCYL’s youth-centered values and broadened our system transformation work. We are so grateful for all of his contributions to NCYL.