Wade Henderson

Wade Henderson, interim president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund, leads the country’s oldest and most diverse coalition of civil and human rights
organizations. The Leadership Conference was founded in 1950 and aims to ensure equality under law through legislative advocacy and public education. It consists of more than 220 national organizations and represents people of color, LGBTQ individuals, women, children, individuals with disabilities, religious groups, civil libertarians, and human rights organizations.

The Leadership Conference is a leader in promoting voting rights, criminal justice reform, fair housing, economic
justice, equal educational opportunity, judicial diversity, and more. The Education Fund builds public will for federal and state policies that promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States. The Education Fund’s
campaigns empower and mobilize advocates around the country to push for progressive change in the United States. It was founded in 1969 as the education and research arm of The Leadership Conference.

Mr. Henderson received his undergraduate degree from Howard University and his law degree from the Rutgers University School of Law. He previously served as president and CEO of The Leadership Conference and The Education Fund from
1996-2017. Prior to his role with The Leadership Conference, Mr. Henderson served as the Washington Bureau Director of the NAACP; as Associate Director of the Washington national office of the ACLU; and as Executive Director of the
Council on Legal Education and Opportunity.

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