John W. Mack
Background Information
JOHN W. MACK
John W. Mack was appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners by Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa in August of 2005. He served as President of the Los Angeles Urban League from August of 1969, until his retirement in 2005. Mack began his career with the Urban League in Flint, Michigan in 1964 and was appointed Executive Director in 1965. Prior to heading the Los Angeles Urban League, he served on the Urban League’s National staff for six months during the Whitney Young era in Washington, D.C. Mack was a leader in the 1960 student civil rights movement in Atlanta – and Co-Founder and Vice Chairperson of the Committee on the Appeal for Human Rights. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Sociology from North Carolina A&T State University. He holds a Master’s Degree from Clark Atlanta University. In 2006, Commissioner Mack was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Management Degree from the Claremont Graduate University School of Education.
Under his leadership, the Los Angeles Urban League has become one of the most successful non-profit community organizations in Los Angeles with an annual budget of $25 million. The Los Angeles Urban League serves over 100,000 individuals each year and operates a number of innovative, result-oriented job training, job placement, education, academic tutorial, youth achievement and business development programs serving African-Americans and other people of color utilizing state of the art computer technology preparing League constituents for the 21st Century. In 1997, United Way presented its Agency of the Year Award to the Los Angeles Urban League.
Mack is a highly respected advocate for equal opportunities in education, law enforcement and economic empowerment for African-Americans and other minorities – and a bridge builder across all racial, cultural, economic, gender and religious lines.
Mack was afforded the unique opportunity to serve as a teaching Fellow in Residence at the prestigious Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Institute of Politics from September through December, 1998. He led a Study Group of Harvard University undergraduate students entitled “The Future of Urban America: Finding Solutions Through Strategic Partnership and Policy Advocacy”.
ORGANIZATIONS / AFFILIATIONS
• President of Los Angeles Police Commission
• Board Member of National Urban League
• Board Member of United Way
• Board Member of Cedars Sinai Medical Center
• Board Member of The California Institute of Technology Board of Trustees
• Board Member of Weingart Foundation
• Member of Wells Fargo Bank Community Board
• Member of State Farm Bank Advisory Committee
• Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
AWARDS
• 1992 Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Award
• 1993Los Angeles Urban League’s Whitney M. Young Jr. Award recipient
• 1993Jewish Federation Council Community Relations Committee’s prestigious Hollzer Memorial Award
• 1997NAACP Legal Degense and Educational Fund Black Women of Achievement’s Special Recognition Award
• 2000National Urban League “Legend of the Century” Honoree
• 2000Presented Los Angeles NAACP’s Lifetime Achievement Award”
• 2000Presented Clark Atlanta University Whitney M. Young, Jr. School of Social Work “Whitney M. Young, Jr. Distinguished Alumnus
Award”
• 2003American Jewish Committee’s first C.I. Newman Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2004Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) Martin Luther King, Jr. President’s Award
• 2004NCCJ Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2004The Magic Johnson Foundation Humanitarian Spirit Award
• 2005The City of Los Angeles honored him by celebrating “John W. Mack Day” upon his retirement
• 2005The Los Angeles Board of Education named the “John W. Mack Elementary School” in recognition of his retirement and
leadership advancing a level playing field and a quality education for African Americans and other youth of color
Mack and his wife Harriett have a son, Anthony, and two daughters, Deborah and Andria; daughter-in-law Teresa, two grandsons, Anthony Brian, II and Gabriel John Wesley, and a granddaughter, Gianna Marie.