Download Minister David Muhammad is the Richmond, Ca

David Muhammad
David Muhammad is the Chief of Committed Services for Washington DC’s juvenile
justice system, the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS). David’s
responsibility includes 350 staff, a $35 million annual budget, a juvenile institution, and
650 youth committed to his department’s care. David joins an executive team of DYRS
full of former advocates tasked with reforming DC’s juvenile justice system as they have
taken on the mission of making it a model system for the country.
David Muhammad took his latest position after being the Executive Director of The
Mentoring Center in Oakland, Ca. Under David’s leadership, The Mentoring Center
(TMC) doubled in staff size and tripled its budget as it became the premiere agency
serving highly at-risk youth in the Bay Area. TMC’s work has become renowned in all
three of its areas: direct service, technical assistance and training, and policy advocacy.
As a graduate of Howard University’s School of Communications, David also has an
extensive journalism career. Since 1997, Muhammad was a contributing editor and
television show host for Pacific News Service in San Francisco. His columns continue to
be published in publications around the country. Currently, David is the editor of the
“Seeking Solutions to Black on Black Crime” series in the Globe Newspapers.
In honor of his work with youth, Muhammad received the 2000 Community Leadership
Award and Fellowship from The California Wellness Foundation, honoring community
leaders who are involved in violence prevention. In 2002, he was awarded the
prestigious Next Generation Leadership Award from The Rockefeller Foundation.
Growing up in the inner city of Oakland, California, Muhammad overcame several
adversities including poverty, foster care, nearly dropping out of school, and the juvenile
justice system. He got involved in the renowned Omega Boys Club, which helped him
turn his life around. He later attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. where he
received a B.A in journalism. In December 2003, he completed a course on “Systems
Dynamics for Senior Managers” at the MIT Sloan School of Management in Cambridge,
MA.
David Muhammad’s proudest accomplishment is being a father to his two daughters
and one son.