Wade Henderson

Wade J. Henderson (b. April 22, 1948) is the immediate past president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and counsel to the Leadership Conference Education Fund.[1] As the CEO from 1996 to 2017, Mr. Henderson led the social justice coalition in forging consensus and developing strategy on major policy priorities regarding domestic and international civil and human rights.

Under his guidance, The Leadership Conference steered successful campaigns to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act, pass the Help America Vote Act, the Fair Sentencing Act, the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the ADA Amendments Act, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. He played key roles in ensuring confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, and US Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch.

During Mr. Henderson’s tenure, the nation’s premier civil and human rights coalition grew from 170 to 230-member organizations. In addition, he has greatly expanded the footprint of civil and human rights in the global discourse of social justice. Throughout his life-long commitment to equality, Wade has made a profound impact on our nation’s journey toward an America as good as its ideals. He has also led delegations in pursuit of international human rights at conferences in Geneva, Switzerland, Germany, South Africa, Israel, and Chile. In 2015, Wade testified before the U.N. General Assembly encouraging an international response to the global rise of Anti-Semitism and other hate crimes.

Until 2019, Mr. Henderson served on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Advisory Committee on Economic Inclusion,[2] which was created in 2006 to provide the FDIC with advice and recommendations on access to banking services by underserved populations. He also worked on expanding fair chance hiring practices at banks to give ex-offenders a chance at securing work.

Mr. Henderson currently serves on the Board of Directors, and as a pro bono advisor, of the Center for Responsible Lending, a nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to reducing economic inequality, protecting homeownership and family wealth by working to eliminate abusive financial practices at the state and federal level. Mr. Henderson is also on the Board of Trustees of the Educational Testing Service, a private, nonprofit organization devoted to improving educational opportunity through educational measurement and research. Finally, he serves as a member of the Foundation Board of Directors of the District of Columbia School of Law (DCSL).

For over 20 years, Mr. Henderson was the Joseph L. Rauh Jr. Professor of Public Interest Law at the David L. Clarke School of Law, University of the District of Columbia.

Prior to his role with The Leadership Conference, Mr. Henderson was the Washington Bureau Director of the NAACP[3], where he directed the organization’s government affairs and national legislative program; and served as the associate director Washington national office of the ACLU, launching his career as a legislative counsel and advocate on civil rights and civil liberties issues.

A graduate of Howard University and the Rutgers University School of Law, Mr. Henderson is a member of the Bar of the District of Columbia and the Supreme Court of the United States.

As a civil rights leader and advocate, Mr. Henderson has received numerous awards and honors. He holds an honorary Doctorate in Law from Queens College School of Law, City University of New York and from Gettysburg College. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Mr. Henderson is currently President of Wade J. Henderson, LLC, a company engaged in strategic advice on civil and human rights issues.

References

1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-05-05. Retrieved 2010-05-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
3. NAACP