David Hughes

About:

Dr. Hughes' areas of expertise include eSports, Sport & Social Responsibility, Leadership, and Sport for Development. He has previously been a faculty member at Georgetown University and Hampton University, where he secured a $340,000 technology grant to start the first eSports initiative at an HBCU. In 2023, his book chapter, Black Men, STEM, and Erasing the Digital Divide: The Need for Black Male Targeted eSports Initiatives was published in the book Diversity and Inclusion in the eSports Industry. Dr. Hughes is also President of the Drake Group, a non-profit organization working to better educate the U.S. Congress and higher education policymakers about critical issues in intercollegiate athletics. Before his work in higher education, Dr. Hughes worked for many years in the sports industry, including for the Houston Texans, the University of Texas, and ESPN.

Dr. Hughes has a broad track record of accomplishments and accolades from his professional work and nonprofit service. He has been the co-chair for the Educational Committee with the Atlanta NAACP Chapter, nominated for faculty of the year, published a children’s book, selected as an Emerging Scholar by American Educational Research Association (AERA), received certificates from Bloomberg in Business Market Concepts, the University of Pennsylvania for Race and Equity in Education and from Hampton University for Executive Leadership training. In addition, he was selected by HBCU Buzz as a 30 under 30 recipient, selected by PVAMU as a 40 under 40 recipient, and selected by the NAACP as a Next Generation Leader. He is a member of Forbes BLK, 100 Black Men, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. For his founding of the Give Black App, in 2022, he was named a leader in the Metaverse by U.S. Black Engineer Magazine. Dr. Hughes is also a Certified Pastoral Candidate within the United Methodist Church.