Biography

David W. Brown is an Associate Professor and the Assistant Dean for Community and Communication at the Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Civic Coalition to Save Lives – a collection of civic, philanthropic, business and community leaders working together to reduce gun violence in Philadelphia

An ordained Deacon in the United Methodist Church, Brown has led efforts to build bridges between churches and the communities they serve throughout his career. He presently serves as a member of the ministry staff at First United Methodist Church in Media, PA.

He has owned or managed five advertising/public relations firms throughout his 30+ career in Philadelphia.  He has the distinction of being the only person to have served  as both the President of PRSA’s Philadelphia chapter and the Philadelphia Advertising Club. He is also the only living African American man inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) Hall of Fame. He was named a “Champion of Change” by the Obama Administration for his communications work around empowering nonprofits to make a difference in the communities they serve.

Brown is the recipient of the Harris Wofford Active Citizenship Award given by the Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service Committee for his “dedication and longtime support” of the King Day of Service --- the largest single day of service in the country. He also co-founded the “Bridge Walk for Peace”in 2008 and  is the nation’s longest running observance marking the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4^th. He is a published author and has served as the General Manager for 900 AM WURD (Pennsylvania’s only African American-owned talk radio station). In addition to serving at Temple, the Civic Coalition to Save Lives and in ministry, Brown also serves as Managing Director for CommonSoul Communication which is a marketing consultancy that works with mission-focused organizations.