Donald Cravins Jr.

Donald R. Cravins Jr. is an attorney, public servant, and advocate whose career spans elected office, federal government leadership, and the nonprofit sector. Cravins earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Louisiana State University and a Juris Doctor from the Southern University Law Center. He served as a member of the Louisiana State Legislature, where, following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, he worked to assist business owners with recovery and rebuilding efforts. Upon his election, he and his father, Don Cravins Sr., became the first father and son to serve in the Louisiana Legislature simultaneously.

Cravins continued his public service at the federal level, serving as staff director and chief counsel for the United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, where he contributed to the passage of the Small Business Jobs Act. He later became chief of staff to United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana, at that time the only African American chief of staff in the United States Senate. Cravins became the first under secretary of minority business development at the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency, where he helped minority businesses secure more than $8.2 billion in capital and contracts.

In addition to his government service, Cravins has held senior leadership roles at organizations such as the National Urban League, where he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer, and Williams Companies Inc., where he led government affairs and outreach. He has taught as an adjunct professor at The George Washington University and has served as a judge advocate and lieutenant colonel in the District of Columbia U.S. Army National Guard. His military decorations include two Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal.

Cravins was appointed president and CEO of the National Minority Supplier Development Council. His honors include induction into the Southern University Law School Hall of Fame, recognition as a distinguished alumnus of Louisiana State University, being named Advocate of the Year by the National Bar Association, and selection to the inaugural ForbesBLK 50. Cravins is recognized as a leading voice on minority business development, economic empowerment, and public policy in the United States.