Kevin Beckford
Kevin Beckford is the co-founder of The Hustlers Guild, a nonprofit that uses hip hop to expand access and opportunity to Black and Latinx youth in the innovation space. He also serves as the advancement manager for Urban Assembly where he supports policy and external outreach for the public school network.
A first-generation college graduate whose experiences living under the poverty line in urban America has had a personal impact, Kevin is committed to dismantling white supremacy in education and workforce development. With the Hustlers Guild, over 1,500 students in the Washington, D.C. area have been exposed to coding and workforce enrichment opportunities at organizations such as Facebook, Google, Sony Music, and Roc Nation.
From 2014-2016, Kevin worked as the domestic policy portfolio lead in the White House Presidential Correspondence Office and as a special advisor to Secretary Julian Castro at the U. S. Department of Housing and Development. While working for the White House, Kevin successfully advocated for more inclusive and responsive communication practices concerning race relations and police brutality.
Prior to serving as a political appointee under the Obama administration, Kevin taught African American history to high school students in Philadelphia. Kevin earned his B.A. in African American Studies and Political Science from Yale University, his MPhil. in African Studies from the University of Cambridge, and his MSc. in Education from the University of Pennsylvania.