Donald H. Whitehead Jr.

Donald H. Whitehead Jr. is recognized as one of the nation’s foremost authorities on homelessness, substance abuse and racial equity. He is the executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless and co-founder of Racial Equity Partners. Whitehead serves as a member of the Homeless Veterans Advisory Committee for the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Over the course of 28 years, his professional journey has encompassed all aspects of homeless service, ranging from direct outreach to executive leadership.

Whitehead has held numerous board positions, including two terms as president of the National Coalition for the Homeless, and roles on the boards of Faces and Voices of Recovery and the Georgetown Center for Cultural Competency. His public service includes appointments to the State of Maryland Drug and Alcohol Policy Council and participation in the Baltimore Ten-Year Planning Committee to End Homelessness. He has testified before committees during the 107th and 108th Congresses and has submitted written testimony on various occasions. In collaboration with congressional staff and the National Coalition for the Homeless, Whitehead was instrumental in the development and introduction of the "Bringing America Home Act," considered the most comprehensive legislative effort to address homelessness in the United States.

Whitehead’s dedication has been recognized with a Distinguished Service Award from the Congressional Black Caucus and a Special Recognition Award from Congress in 2008. He presented verbal testimony to the United Nations in 2020. Among his achievements are supporting the housing of 300 chronically homeless individuals in central Florida in 2016 and directly assisting over 200 unsheltered individuals in Prince George’s County, Maryland, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whitehead’s insights have been featured on national platforms such as CBS News, ABC News, Fox, CNN, MSNBC, C-SPAN and NBC, and on numerous local stations, as well as on radio programs including NPR, "The Tavis Smiley Show," and "The Tom Joyner Morning Show," and on international outlets in Great Britain, Germany, Canada and Mexico. He has appeared on "Dr. Phil" and participated in interviews across diverse media formats. Notably, Whitehead has been a guest of former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

With academic credentials in communications and African American studies from the City College of Chicago, the University of Cincinnati and Union College and University in Ohio, Whitehead served as a journalist in the United States Navy. In addition to his advocacy work, he is active as a stand-up comedian and actor, having performed in six films, various commercials, stage productions and television shows, and earning a regional Emmy for one of his performances.