Dr. David W. Robinson-Morris is an internationally recognized author, scholar, public intellectual, speaker, and institutional leader whose work sits at the intersection of imagination, justice, and the flourishing of the human spirit. He is the Founder and Executive Director of  The Center for the Human Spirit and Radical Reimagining, where he advances interdisciplinary approaches to equity, belonging, and systemic transformation, grounded in a central question: What does it mean to be a human being?

 

He is also the Founder and Chief Reimaginelutionary of The REImaginelution, a strategic consulting and thought leadership enterprise that partners with leaders across higher education, philanthropy, healthcare, and the nonprofit sector to design

strategies that move communities toward justice and collective flourishing. David has come to understand that more than knowledge, power, or money is the immense force of the imagination. ​ He is committed to systemic transformation through (re)catalyzing the power of imagination, advancing equity, and cultivating what he describes as “muscular prophetic hope” in institutions and communities alike.

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Dr. Robinson-Morris’s scholarship draws from educational leadership, critical theory, Black intellectual traditions, and contemplative practice. He is the author of Ubuntu and Buddhism in Higher Education: An Ontological (Re)Thinking and co-editor of Contemplative Practice as an Act of Resistance in Higher Education. His work examines how institutions shape human experience and advances equity as both a structural imperative and a deeply relational, ethical, and spiritual practice.

His work is deeply influenced by the African philosophy of Ubuntu and contemplative traditions, framing justice not only as structural change but as a transformation of how we understand and relate to one another. Central to his approach is a commitment to scholar-activism, community-building, and organizing for institutional and societal transformation.

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His career reflects a distinctive blend of scholarship, executive leadership, and visionary institution-building. At Xavier University of Louisiana, he founded the Center for Equity, Justice, and the Human Spirit, an interdisciplinary an interdisciplinary hub designed as both intellectual anchor and community catalyst that became a national model for integrating research, community engagement, and public scholarship. Under his leadership, the Center advanced research, public scholarship, and community engagement focused on PK–16 educational equity, criminal justice reform, and environmental justice. It rapidly evolved into a nationally recognized model, leveraging modest institutional resources into nearly $2 million in funding while convening scholars, practitioners, and community members in pursuit of systemic change.

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The Center also became a vital public resource during the COVID-19 pandemic, hosting large-scale forums that connected communities with leading experts and critical information, embodying Dr. Robinson-Morris’s commitment to translating scholarship into tangible public good.

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Before and alongside this work, Dr. Robinson-Morris served Xavier University as Assistant Vice President of Development, where he played a key role in securing transformational philanthropic investments—including the institution’s then-largest individual gift—and as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Education and Counseling, shaping future leaders through doctoral education in leadership and research. 

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In 2024, Dr. Robinson-Morris was appointed the inaugural Executive Director of the Institute for Black Intellectual and Cultural Life at Dartmouth College, where he led the development of a pioneering interdisciplinary institute dedicated to advancing the study and global impact of Black diasporic intellectual and cultural life. The Institute serves as a dynamic site of scholarly collaboration, artistic production, and community engagement bringing together thinkers, creators, and students to generate new knowledge and imagine liberated futures.

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Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at Ochsner Health and served as Executive Director at the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society (CMind), advancing health equity, organizational culture, and contemplative approaches to leadership and learning. He also served in public service as Senior Publicist to the Mayor of New Orleans during the city’s post-Katrina recovery, leading communications for critical departments and engaging national and international media.

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A committed civic leader, Dr. Robinson-Morris has served on numerous boards and commissions across New Orleans and beyond, supporting initiatives in education, arts and culture, public policy, and racial justice. His work consistently centers community voice, fosters dialogue, and builds capacity for sustainable change while bridging theory and practice; and engaging higher education, healthcare systems, government, philanthropy, and grassroots communities in the shared work of justice and human flourishing.

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Dr. Robinson-Morris is an active member in several organizations including: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the Association of Fundraising Professionals, (AFP), the African American Development Officers Network, the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, to name a few.

 

At the heart of Dr. Robinson-Morris’s leadership is a commitment to cultivating spaces where imagination becomes a force for liberation—where institutions are reimagined, communities are engaged, and the full dignity of every human being is affirmed.

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Dr. Robinson-Morris holds degrees from Loyola University New Orleans, the University of New Orleans, and Louisiana State University. A native of Galveston, Texas, he remains deeply committed to advancing dignity, belonging, and the full realization of our shared humanity through scholarship, leadership, and the disciplined practice of imagination.