Alphonso Jackson

The Honorable Alphonso Jackson served from 2004-2008 as the 13th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, guiding its mission of providing affordable housing and promoting economic development, an assignment to which he brought more than 25 years of experience in both the private and public sectors.

He is currently Vice-Chairman with JPMorgan Chase Corporate in New York City. His responsibilities include improving internal control functions and enhancing the bank's regulatory relationships with government by prioritizing and addressing regulatory issues. He also works with regulators to develop and propose better solutions to overly complex rule making, and interacts with Congress and governmental regulatory bodies addressing the issue of "Too Big to Fail."

Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase, he served as the Distinguished University Professor and Director of the Center for Public Policy and Leadership at Hampton University. He first joined the Bush Administration in June of 2001 as HUD's Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, managing day-to-day operations of the $32 billion agency and instilling a new commitment to ethics and accountability. Immediately preceding his appointment at HUD, he was President of American Electric Power-TEXAS, a $13 billion utility company in Austin, Texas. From 1989-1996, he was President and CEO of the Housing Authority of Dallas, Texas. And earlier, he was director of the Department of Public and Assisted Housing in Washington, D.C., and also served as chairperson for the District of Columbia Redevelopment Land Agency Board.

An expert on public housing and urban issues, he has served on a number of national and state commissions, most notably the General Services Commission of the State of Texas, as Chairman; the National Commission on America's Urban Families; and the National Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing. Numerous nonprofit and corporate boards have benefitted from his expertise. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and a Master of Arts degree in education administration from Truman State University. He received a Juris Doctorate degree from Washington University School of Law.