John Edward Jacob, was the president of the National Urban League, which strives to see that Blacks and other minorities are given equal opportunities in society. Jacob's career with the NUL began in 1965 as Director of Education and Youth Incentives in Washington, D.C. Jacob is vice chairman of the board of trustees at Howard University, and a member of the boards of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the New York Foundation and the Eisenhower Foundation.