David W. Brown | BIO
David W. Brown 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 over his career as both the President of PRSA’s Philadelphia chapter and the Philadelphia Advertising Club. He is also the only living African American 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. In 2018, Brown was awarded the Harris Wofford Active Citizenship Award 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” is the nation’s longest such observance marking the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4th.
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). He serves as Managing Director for Common Soul Communication which is a consultancy that works with mission-focused organizations. He is an ordained Deacon in the United Methodist Church and has led an effort to transform a 175-year-old historically Black (and underused) church into a vibrant community resource. He presently serves as a part-time member of the ministry staff at First United Methodist Church in Media, PA. Brown is currently an Associate Professor and the Assistant Dean for Community and Communication at the Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University. He is also 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 through intervention. Rev. Brown is a graduate of Duquesne University where he majored in Journalism and received his Master’s in Theology from the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now known as Palmer Theological Seminary).
