The New York Urban League is pleased to announce three new members to the Board of Trustees. They were voted onto to the board in December and will serve for a three-year term.
Ward Corbett, New York Urban League Board Chair stated, “We are thrilled to have Reverend Jacques DeGraff, Keith Wright and Marcia Maxwell join us at this time. They collectively bring experience in working in faith communities, government, real estate and cannabis. They have served as advocates for small business owners and will help equip NYUL to further our advocacy efforts.”
Their bios are below:
Reverend Jacques DeGraff has been a tireless advocate for Minority and Women owned businesses, which create jobs in our communities, where he helped to lead the passage of Local Law1 to create municipal opportunities for MWBE contracts.
Reverend Jacques Andre De Graff has served on the pastoral staff at Canaan Baptist Church, where he was ordained under the Reverend Wyatt Tee Walker and become a renowned champion for equity and inclusion. Currently, serves as the New York City Clergy Leader for Choose Health Life the historic Black church Initiative.
Reverend De Graff is a graduate of Hunter College, studied at the NYU School of Real Estate, New York Theological Seminary and Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Reverend De Graff has served as the 1st Vice President of the One Hundred Black Men, New York, where he has been a founding member of two public high schools; The Eagle Academy for Young Men and the Bronx School for Law, Government & Justice (Urban Assembly). He presently Chairs the Friends of Harlem Hospital reflecting his commitment to ending disparities in health care.
Marcia Maxwell currently serves as the Eastern Regional Director of Government Affairs at Cresco Labs one of the largest vertically integrated multi-state cannabis operators in the United States. Cresco Labs has stores on retail/entertainment corridors across the Northeast including in Brooklyn, Long Island, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia.
Previously, Marcia served as Senior Director at Global Strategy Group, a leading public relations, polling, and research consulting firm. . Marcia has also worked for New York University as the Associate Director of City and State Relations and served as the Executive Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the New York City Department of Correction one of the largest correctional institutions in the United States.
Marcia holds a Master’s in Public Administration from New York University, a second Master’s in Political Science from Long Island University and completed her undergraduate studies at State University of New York at Binghamton. She is also a graduate of the CORO Leadership New York and the Council on Urban Professionals fellow’s program. Marcia is a long-standing member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. She’s also on the board of directors of Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, Excelsior College Cannabis Industrial Advisory Committee and the former Chair and Treasurer of New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association.
Keith L.T. Wright is the Director of Strategic Planning at Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP for their Government Relations groups and works out of the firm’s New York City office. Mr. Wright’s focus is on assisting clients in their long-range strategic planning goals.
Mr. Wright joined DHC after serving 23 years in New York State Assembly, having chaired such committees as Housing, Elections, Law, Social Services, and Labor. His work on the Equal Economic Opportunity and Human Rights subcommittee sought protections for domestic workers and created additional benefits for senior citizens. Leading the Public Housing subcommittee, he championed the rights of public housing residents. Also, while in the Assembly, Mr. Wright chaired the Black, Puerto Rican and Hispanic Legislative Caucus and was a member of the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force.
Active in his Harlem community, Mr. Wright has helped foster small business development, create affordable housing, and increase opportunities for youth. HE has also served as the chairman of the Harlem community Development Corporation. Prior to his time in the assembly, Mr. Wright held positions in New York City’s Human Resource Administration, the Manhattan Borough President’s Office and the New York City Transit Authority.