Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. practices general, corporate, legislative and international law.
Prior to joining Akin Gump in January 1982, Mr. Jordan served as president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League, Inc.; executive director of the United Negro College Fund, Inc.; director of the Voter Education Project of the Southern Regional Council; attorney-consultant at the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity; assistant to the executive director of the Southern Regional Council; Georgia field director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; and as an attorney in private practice in Arkansas and Georgia.
Mr. Jordan's presidential appointments include: the President's Advisory Committee for the Points of Light Initiative Foundation; the Secretary of State's Advisory Committee on South Africa; the Advisory Council on Social Security; the Presidential Clemency Board; the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission; the National Advisory Committee on Selective Service; and the Council of the White House Conference "To Fulfill These Rights." Mr. Jordan served as the chairman of the Clinton Presidential Transition Team in 1992.
Mr. Jordan serves on the board of governors of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, The Bilderberg Meetings and the Trilateral Commission. His directorships include: America Online Latin America, Inc.; American Express Company; Asbury Automotive Group, Inc.; Dow Jones & Company, Inc.; Howard University (trustee); J.C. Penney Company, Inc.; LBJ Foundation; Revlon Group; Sara Lee Corporation; Shinsei Bank, Ltd.; and Xerox Corporation. He serves on the international advisory boards of DaimlerChrysler and Barrick Gold.
Mr. Jordan has received numerous honorary degrees and awards in recognition of his accomplishments. In 2001 he was the recipient of the NAACP's highest honor, the Joel E. Spingarn Medal, awarded for distinguished achievement by black Americans. In addition, he has authored a weekly newspaper column that appeared in over 300 newspapers, has broadcast commentaries on current issues for the Westinghouse Broadcast Network, and has been a frequent guest on major national television broadcasts, including Meet the Press, Issues & Answers, and Face the Nation.
A graduate of DePauw University and the Howard University Law School, Mr. Jordan holds honorary degrees from more than 50 colleges and universities in America. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association and the Bars of Arkansas, the District of Columbia and Georgia and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Mr. Jordan is co-chair of the Ad Council's Advisory Committee on Public Issues and is the author of Vernon Can Read! A Memoir (Public Affairs, 2001).