Brown, who has served as executive director for the Civic Coalition to Save Lives, is known for building community partnerships. He started his new role on July 1. 

As Temple University works to strengthen its commitment to community engagement in support of its strategic plan and the priority of place-based impact, it has turned to a longtime leader in the city with deep Temple roots to help carry this work forward. 

David W. Brown was named Temple’s new executive director of community impact and civic engagement on July 1, after serving as executive director for the Civic Coalition to Save Lives, a broad-based group of civic, philanthropic, business and community leaders who work together to reduce gun violence in Philadelphia.  

For nearly 12 years, Brown has held several roles at Temple, most recently serving as associate professor and assistant dean for community and communication at Klein College of Media and Communication.  

“I feel very grateful and blessed for this opportunity as we can do things to not only lift the university, but to lift the community as a whole,” Brown said. 

Brown, who is known for building community partnerships, brings a wealth of significant experience to his new position. 

“With his deep ties to Philadelphia, David is the ideal leader to ensure that Temple’s community engagement efforts continue to expand and have greater impact,” Temple President John Fry said. "This role is especially important now as we implement our strategic plan, Forward with Purpose, and ensure we do our part to serve as a vital, trusted partner in our city.” 

David Boardman, dean of Klein College, underscored Brown’s aptitude to foster key collaborations within communities. 

“He has a superb ability to bring people together for positive change,” said Boardman. 

In this role, Brown will continue the work started by Valerie Harrison, vice president of community impact and civic engagement, CLA ’07, ’14, who is retiring from Temple in August. 

Harrison reflected on how she has always admired Brown’s commitment to equity, opportunity, and service. 

“As fellow graduates of Philadelphia public schools, we both understand firsthand the transformative power of opportunity and the importance of working to ensure that children and families, particularly those from communities that have historically faced barriers, have access to the same kinds of opportunities that helped shape our own lives,” she said. “I can think of no one better prepared to carry this work forward.” 

Harrison played a key role in shaping many of Temple’s signature community initiatives such as the Temple Community Gateway, Cecil B. Moore Scholars Program, Saturday College, Owls for Philly, and Temple On Board. 

She led the development of a proposal to repurpose the historic Burk Mansion, located at 1500 North Broad St., as a community engagement center that will host a range of programs and services for the North Philadelphia community. On May 8, Temple received approval from the Philadelphia Historical Commission for its plans to rehabilitate and use the Burk Mansion moving forward. 

In his new role, Brown will be overseeing the establishment of the Burk Mansion as a new community engagement center.  

He is already pursuing a possible partnership with the YMCA. Temple’s Beasley School of Law and Klein College also plan to offer programs for community residents at Burk. 

“There are so many existing partnerships out there already, so I want to make sure that this facility really does focus directly on the needs of the community,” Brown said. “There are some things that are already in the community that we want to be able to complement, enhance and not duplicate.” 

He wants to ensure that Temple is engaging with community members about what the center will offer. 

“I want to make sure that Temple follows the tradition of listening first and acting upon what they hear,” Brown stated as he reflected on his vision for the center. 

“We want to do a thorough assessment of what is happening already in the community and make sure we listen to folks that may not be associated with an existing organization. This is not only how we are getting started but also how we want to operate on an ongoing basis.” 

Looking ahead, Brown is eager to build on Temple’s community engagement efforts and explore new ways to collaborate with partners across the university and Philadelphia to create meaningful impact.   

“I’m just extremely excited about the possibilities,” Brown said.