Alphonso Jackson

Member

Alphonso Jackson was appointed to the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in 2020.

Alphonso Jackson is Chief Executive of A.R. Jackson Advisors, LLC. Jackson has decades of experience in housing and community development. His expertise includes development of affordable and market rate housing, handling complex urban development issues and housing finance. He also is a member of the International Advisory Board for Fiserv, Incorporated, a global leader in financial technology and payments processing serving clients in more than 100 countries. Jackson serves on the International Advisory Council of the United States Institute of Peace, the Board of Trustees of Howard University in Washington, DC and a Sine Institute for Public Policy and Politics fellow, Spring 2020. He is a member of the Horatio Alger Association and The Alfalfa Club.

Jackson served as Senior Advisor for First Data Corporation in 2015. Based out of the Washington, DC office, Jackson’s primary focus was to strengthen First Data’s relationships with federal, state and international government entities.

In 2012, he served as Vice Chairman of Consumer & Community Banking at JP Morgan Chase in New York City. Prior to his role at JP Morgan Chase, he was the distinguished university professor and Director of the Center for Public Policy and Leadership at Hampton University in Hampton, VA.

Alphonso Jackson was appointed the 13th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in March 2004. Nominated by President George W. Bush, he was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate due to his strong background in housing and community development and expertise in finance and management.

Prior to his appointment as Secretary, Jackson served as the Deputy Secretary of HUD, managing the daily operations of the $36 billion agency. Before his government service, Jackson was president and COO of American Electric Power, a $13 billion utility company in Texas. Earlier in his career, he was president and CEO of the Housing Authority of the City of Dallas, which ranked among the best-managed large-city housing agencies during his tenure.

He has received many notable awards and honors including: The Aspen Institute – Aspen Fellow, The National Boys and Girls Clubs of America – Chairman's Award, The National Academy of Achievement – Golden Plate Award, American Family Life Assurance Company (AFLAC) – Lifetime Achievement Award, The Jewish National Fund, New York – National Tree of Life Award, Truman State University – Distinguished Alumni Award, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Washington University in St. Louis, MO.

Jackson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and a Master’s in education administration from Truman State University. He also received a Juris Doctor degree from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, MO.  He holds several Honorary degrees from Benedict College, Hampton University, Harris Stowe State University, Hiram College, Morehouse College, North Carolina A&T State University, Paine College, Tuskegee University, Texas College, and Texas Southern University.