Born on August 15, 1935, Vernon Eulion Jordan, Jr. is an African-American lawyer and civil rights leader. Vernon Jordan entered Howard University for his J.D. and graduated in 1960. In 1970, Jordan served as the executive director of the United Negro College Fund, an American charitable organization that aims to raise funds for college tuition money intended for black students as well as general scholarship funds for 39 private historically black colleges and universities. From 1972 to 1981, Jordan also became president of the National Urban League, a civil rights organization that drives an advocacy for African Americans against racial discrimination in the United States. During his leadership, Vernon Jordan developed a reputable research and information distribution facility that includes The Urban League Review and the annual State of Black America reports.

Vernon Jordan has had several presidential appointments including the Presidential Clemency Board; the Advisory Council on Social Security; the National Advisory Committee on Selective Service; the Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on South Africa; the President’s Advisory Committee for the Points of Light Initiative Foundation; the Council of the White House Conference “To Fulfill These Rights;” and the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission. Jordan has been known to be a close adviser to President Bill Clinton. He was chairman of the Clinton presidential campaign in 1992 and even served on the Council on Foreign Relations and the Iraq Study Group.

Vernon Jordan is currently a Senior Counsel at the Washington, D.C.-headquartered law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Vernin Jordan’s areas of practice cover international, corporate, legislative, and general law. Vernon Jordan is also the co-chair of the Ad Council’s Advisory Committee on Public Issues. Additionally, Vernon Jordan, Jr. is a steadfast business executive presently serving corporate positions such as Senior Managing Director with investment banking firm Lazard Freres & Co. LLC since 2000. He is also a member of the board of directors of numerous business entities such as the Asbury Automotive Group, J.C. Penney Corporation, Dow Jones & Company, Xerox Corporation, and American Express Co. Vernon Jordan also has directorships in Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation and Howard University. Previously, he served on the board of Sara Lee, Corning, Revlon, and RJR Nabisco.

In 2001, Vernon Jordan was awarded the Spingarn Medal in 2001 by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).