Yesterday,
Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment kept their promise of creating a
culture of inclusion and diversity across their brands when they hired David
Gould as Chief Diversity and Impact Officer.
According to
the press release put out yesterday, he will “lead internal and external
diversity and inclusion standards, programs, and initiatives across Harris
Blitzer Sports.” He will be working for the organization as a whole, so will be
overseeing the Devils, Prudential Center and the Philadelphia 76ers, HBSE Real
Estate, HBSE Ventures, Sixers Innovation Lab, multiple esports properties and
more.
Back in August,
HBSE made a pledge towards racial equality and unveiled their racial equality
action plan. This included “a commitment of $20 million to fight systemic racism
and champion equality.” To this aim, “Gould will lead HBSE’s internal and
external diversity and inclusion standards, programs and initiatives across the
organization.”
Gould said
in the press release: “I’m proud of the commitment made by our company and
Managing Partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer to promote diversity and economic
opportunity and publicly recognize the impact that systemic racism continues to
have in our society. As a Black man and former college athlete, this work is deeply
personal to me and I believe that the sports and entertainment industry has an important
role to play in the push for social and racial equality. It’s an honor to be
leading this new priority for HBSE and I am excited for the positive impact we
will have for both our staff and communities.”
Harris and
Blitzer put out the following statement: “We are thrilled to work with David
Gould in his new capacity as Chief Diversity and Impact Officer. This role is a
vital addition to our organization and we believe David’s leadership, passion
and strategic mindset are incredibly valuable to our company and community
members alike. This is an important step in our larger commitment towards equality
and inclusion within our organization and in driving positive change in the
communities we serve.”
Gould actually
had previous experience in the HBSE organization. He was hired “earlier this year
as the Executive Director of the Sixers Youth Foundation” for the 76ers.
According to the press release, he “played a significant role in the development
of HBSE’s racial equality action plan across the Devils and 76ers to support
the communities in need, including Newark, Philadelphia and Camden during the
COVID-19 crisis.” He worked during his time with the Sixers Youth Foundation to
“serve youth through the rehabilitation of basketball courts in Greater Philadelphia,
as well as providing safe youth basketball clinics and delivering lunches to
thousands of children across underserved communities.”
Gould’s
roles in this new position include: providing “executive leadership and guidance
while working closely with company leaders, HBSE’s Diversity and Inclusion
Advisory Board and the Human Resources department to implement a comprehensive
inclusion and diversity strategy across HBSE.” He will also “be responsible for
spearheading HBSE’s action plan and commitment to promise racial equality, including
efforts to (1) invest in Black communities, (2) support Black and minority-owned
businesses and entrepreneurs, (3) promote education, health and employment
opportunities for Black community members and (4) amplify and build workplaces
founded in respect, diversity and inclusion across HBSE properties.”
He will also
implement “best-in-class practices to ensure an inclusive and diverse work environment
across all HBSE properties through recruitment, retention and professional
development programs.” He will “work with team marketing and community relations
to promote positive educational, health and employment outcomes for local
communities.” His role will also include guiding “leaders in establishing and maintaining
business practices that will invest in, support and grow minority-owned
businesses.” Community relations will also be key as he will “be responsible
for building relationships with community leaders to drive change and make an
impact on the communities in which HBSE businesses operate.”
HBSE CEO Scott
O’Neil said that “David Gould is an action-oriented, authentic leader with an
outward mindset and the capacity to be an inspiring force for change; it is an
honor to appoint him to the first-ever role of HBSE’s Chief Diversity and Impact
Officer. David’s leadership and guidance played a critical role in shaping HBSE’s
and Founders Josh Harris and David Blitzer’s $20 million commitment and action
plan to address racial equality in the communities where we live, work and
play. He brings a depth of experience in building platforms that drive
advancement for Black entrepreneurs and communities, in both the private sector
and with the City of Philadelphia; his perspective will be critical as we grow
as an organization and community in empathy, respect and with racial equality
in mind. With David’s engagement and passion, I am confident our organization,
industry and community will rise together to celebrate diversity and equality,
and move towards action.”
Gould previously
worked “as the Deputy Director for Community Engagement and Communications for
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s Rebuild initiative, a more than $400 million
investment with the goal of revitalizing community spaces in low-income neighborhoods
and promoting economic opportunity for those communities. As one of Rebuild’s Founding
Members, Gould served on the leadership team that launched the program
responsible for revitalizing community parks, recreation centers and libraries
across Philadelphia; bringing construction opportunities for small, diverse
businesses and creating jobs for women and people of color. He was also
responsible for building relationships with community members and ensuring that
their priorities were reflected in the investment made in their neighborhood.”
Gould also worked
as a program officer at the William Penn Foundation. There, “he was responsible
for exploring new areas of focus for the Foundation, specifically related to
community development and impact investing.”
Gould grew up
in Philly, in the Germantown section of the city. He went to college at the University
of Rochester, where he played basketball and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics
and Political Science. He got his Master’s Degree from the University of
Pennsylvania in Public Administration. He has also taught graduate-level
classes at Penn’s Weitzman School of Design.