David Gould is the Chief Diversity and Impact Officer for Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment (HBSE), an organization comprised of sports and entertainment properties, including the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, the Prudential Center, HBSE Real Estate, HBSE Ventures, Sixers Innovation Lab and more. As the CDIO, David is responsible for overseeing HBSE’s $20 million commitment to racial equity and efforts to promote diversity equity and inclusion within the company and across the communities that HBSE’s teams live work and play. This includes employee recruitment and professional development programs; guiding leaders in establishing and maintaining business practices that will invest in, support, and communities of color; and building relationships with community leaders to drive change and make an impact on the communities in which HBSE businesses operate. Examples include:
- Investments to promote affordable housing and homeownership in low-income Philadelphia communities
- Maximizing HBSE’s spend with diverse businesses
- Programs leverage the 76ers and New Jersey Devils platforms to promote small, local diverse businesses among the teams fanbases
Prior to joining HBSE, David served as a Deputy Director for the City of Philadelphia’s Rebuild initiative, a more than $400 million effort to revitalize community parks, recreation centers, and libraries across Philadelphia while growing small, diverse businesses and connecting women and people of color with careers in construction. David’s efforts focused on ensuring that community members were able given a voice in shaping the vision for the revitalization of their community space and supporting Rebuild’s efforts to maximize the participation and growth of diverse workers and businesses working on Rebuild’s construction projects.
David also spent four years at the William Penn Foundation where he served as a Program Officer, managing a $20+ million grant portfolio focused on public space and community development projects in underserved communities across Philadelphia.
David serves on the board of trustees for the Free Library of Philadelphia and on the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank’s Economic and Community Advisory Council.
David earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the University of Rochester and his Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Pennsylvania.