Deloitte Executive Leads on National Board
David Harrison, a senior partner for Deloitte & Touche LLP, first learned about Posse 10 years ago when a Posse D.C. advisory board member invited him to a fundraiser event for the program. Inspired by the Posse story and its track record of success, David decided to get involved.
“From that point on, I was hooked,” he says.
David joined the D.C. advisory board in 2013 and became a member of Posse’s National Board of Directors in 2021.
Reflecting on his reasons for supporting the program, he says, “I was them; I was the student Posse is trying to recruit. As a board member, I hope to have made things better for Posse scholars, so that they do not have to experience some of the unique things I did advancing up in the workforce.”
“To drive change, you need a meaningful voice, and your voice needs to be respected. Posse Scholars are best positioned to be those future leaders.”
David grew up in the Bronx, New York, in a neighborhood he describes as under-resourced. Despite the challenges of his surroundings, he excelled academically. David credits his family’s belief in the power of education.
“I grew up in a household where doing well in school and pursuing higher education was non-negotiable,” he says.
David earned a bachelor’s in accounting from Baruch College – the business school of the City University of New York - and joined Coopers & Lybrand at a time when the leading accounting firms—known as the “Big Eight”—were pushing to hire more diverse talent.
“In the mid 80s the accounting profession wanted to increase diversify at their firms and were actively recruiting minority talent,” said David. “I later secured my CPA license and leveraged my credential to differentiate myself and build meaningful relationships with as many people as I could – relationships that got me noticed.”
In his current role as partner, David specializes in delivering risk, regulatory, and operational transformation services to clients in the financial services industry. He also serves as the lead client service partner for two premier banking clients for Deloitte and co-chaired Deloitte’s Black Action Council, a committee formed to enhance the experience of Black professionals at Deloitte.
In addition to his personal contributions to Posse, David has championed the program’s partnership with Deloitte.
“Posse is one of the top organizations I advocate for, to seek opportunities to partner together to advance educational equity in our communities.”
That advocacy led to nearly $1 million in funding from the firm in 2020, which included significant giving directly from Deloitte employees. Deloitte also supports Posse at the site level, with at least one employee represented on each of Posse’s 10 local advisory boards.
Noting Posse’s “undeniable” outcomes, David says, “Posse develops leaders who are going to change the status quo. To drive change, you need a meaningful voice, and your voice needs to be respected. Posse Scholars are best positioned to be those future leaders.”
