David Halbert
Executive Director, Bay State Progress
David Halbert serves as Executive Director of Bay State Progress (BSP), which organizes institutional and individual social justice donors to fund the development of long-term, community-led, power-building progressive civic infrastructure in Massachusetts. BSP prioritizes increasing the social equity and empowerment of historically marginalized and underrepresented communities by advancing progressive policy-making and governance.
David has spent a career in public service working for numerous elected officials at the municipal, county, and state level, including former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. While serving in the Community Affairs department of the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office, David helped found the People of Color in Criminal Justice Conference – the only conference of its kind in New England – serving as director until 2019.
In 2019 and 2021, David was an At-Large candidate for the Boston City Council. His campaigns were noted for their innovative and thoughtful policy platforms, which earned tens of thousands of votes and helped secure the endorsement of community organizations and activists across the city, including The Boston Globe, New England’s largest newspaper.
David actively serves the community through leadership positions with the Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center, Union Combined Parish, the Greater Mattapan Neighborhood Council, and the Theta Iota Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. in Springfield.
David is a graduate and Trustee of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Northeastern University, where he is a member of the Advisory Board for the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs.
Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, David moved to Massachusetts in his youth and has lived in Boston for over 20 years, currently in the Dorchester neighborhood with his family.
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