Charles H. DeBow, III is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The National Black Chamber of Commerce® (NBCC). Over the past 20 years he has gained extensive experience working in every department of the NBCC. Joining the team in November of 1999 as the liaison to the NBCC Global Federation of Chambers in North/Central/South America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa. This began the NBCC’s evolution as a global advocate on behalf of Black businesses. The National Black Chamber of Commerce® is dedicated to economically empowering, sustaining African American communities through entrepreneurship, capitalistic activity within the United States, and via interaction with the Black Diaspora.
Mr. DeBow has focused work on the unconventional challenges confronting African American small businesses, advocacy, and opportunities, along with the operational challenges of non-profit organizations.
Charles H. DeBow, III is the older brother of NBCC CO-Founder Kay DeBow Alford, and brother-in-law of CO-Founder Harry C. Alford. Charles H. DeBow is a name in military history. As the grandson of Charles DeBow, a Buffalo Soldier, and the son of Charles H. DeBow, Jr, a graduate of the first training class of 1942, from the Tuskegee Army Airfield, certifying him as an original Tuskegee Airman. Mr. DeBow is a graduate of Indiana University’s Kelly School of Business. He has spent over 13 years in various capacities with CBS Records and 10 years as a marketing consultant developing marketing campaigns for clients such as Michael Jackson, Prince, Janet Jackson, Sade, Earth, Wind & Fire, Pink Floyd, Bruce Springsteen, Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass, and others. The music industry experience provided a foundation for a legacy based on consumer marketing.
