Alvin Brown | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Member of theNational Transportation Safety Board | |
| In office March 13, 2024 – c. May 6, 2025 | |
| President | Joe Biden Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Robert L. Sumwalt |
| 7thMayor of Jacksonville | |
| In office July 1, 2011 – July 1, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | John Peyton |
| Succeeded by | Lenny Curry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1961-12-15)December 15, 1961 (age 64) Beaufort, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Santhea Brown |
| Education | Jacksonville University (BA,MBA) |
Alvin Brown (born December 15, 1961) is an American politician fromFlorida who served asmayor ofJacksonville, from 2011 to 2015. A member of theDemocratic Party, was thefirstAfrican American to be elected to that position. Brown succeededJohn Peyton as mayor after winning the2011 mayoral election.[1][2] In the2015 race, he lost his re-election bid toRepublicanLenny Curry.[3]
Earlier in his career, Brown worked as an advisor toSecretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentAndrew Cuomo.[4] He later became a member of theNational Transportation Safety Board under PresidentJoe Biden.[5]
Brown was born inBeaufort, South Carolina on December 15, 1961.[6][7] He moved to Jacksonville in 1981 and attendedEdward Waters College andJacksonville University, where he earned hisbachelor's andMaster of Business Administration degrees.
While at Edward Waters, Brown became a member of the Delta Psi chapter ofKappa Alpha Psifraternity.[8]
Brown was an intern forBill Nelson while Nelson was a member of theUnited States House of Representatives. He worked on the staff of the Clinton-Gore transition team in 1992 and 1993, and then began work in the Clinton administration as a member ofRon Brown's staff at theUnited States Department of Commerce. Brown completed a visiting fellowship at theGeorgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service[9] in spring 2016.
During the 1990s he served as an advisor toAndrew Cuomo who was theSecretary of Housing and Urban Development, PresidentBill Clinton, and Vice PresidentAl Gore.[4] In the Clinton administration, he served as deputy administrator for community development, rural business and Cooperative development services at theUnited States Department of Agriculture; executive director of the Office of Special Actions at the Department of Housing and Urban Development; executive Director of the White House Community Empowerment Board; co-chair of the White House Task Force on Livable Communities; and senior advisor for urban policy and vice chair of the White House Community Empowerment Board.
After serving in the Clinton administration, Brown worked as the executive-in-residence atJacksonville University's Davis School of Business; president and CEO of the Willie Gary Classic Foundation; executive director of the Bush/Clinton Katrina Interfaith Fund; and chairman of the board of theNational Black MBA Association.
Brown entered the race formayor of Jacksonville in 2011. The incumbent Republican,John Peyton, was term-limited. Widely considered an underdog in the March primary election,[10] Brown came in second in the six-person race to face the front runner, RepublicanMike Hogan, in the runoff election. On May 17, Brown narrowly defeated Hogan by 1,648 votes in what was called the closest mayoral election in Jacksonville history.[11][12] Brown became the first African American ever elected Mayor of Jacksonville, as well as the first Democrat elected sinceEd Austin in 1991.[2] The win was considered a major upset in light of the momentum gained by theRepublican Party and the conservativeTea Party movement in the 2010 elections, and a significant victory for theFlorida Democratic Party.[13] Brown was sworn in as mayor on July 1, 2011.[2] Brown lost his 2015 re-election bid to RepublicanLenny Curry.[3]
In August 2022, Brown was nominated to serve as a member of theNational Transportation Safety Board by PresidentJoe Biden.[14] On July 12, 2023, theSenate Commerce Committee advanced the nomination.[15] His nomination was confirmed by the full Senate on March 8, 2024.[16] He was elevated to the position of Vice Chair of NTSB on December 20, 2024.[17]
On May 5, 2025, Brown was removed from his post by theTrump administration, more than a year before his term was set to expire on December 31, 2026. No reason was given for Brown's dismissal and the removal of a sitting NTSB board member is highly unusual.[18] His removal came during a period of heightened aviation safety concerns and broader dismissals from independent agencies.[5]
On June 4, 2025, Brown filed a federal lawsuit in theU.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging his removal as vice chair of the National Transportation Safety Board.[19]
While living in Washington, Brown met his wife Santhea. They have two sons, Joshua and Jordan.[20]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor of Jacksonville 2011–2015 | Succeeded by |