David Sutphen

David Sutphen is a multidimensional leader who has spent his career at the intersection of business, government, and civil society. He combines a gift for the written word, an extensive network, creativity, and critical thinking to help clients generate ideas, solve problems, and get things done.

Before the launch of Jasper Advisors, he was Chief Strategy & Engagement Officer at 2U, (Nasdaq: TWOU), the parent company of edX, where he reported to the Co-Founder & CEO. Outside of Jasper, he serves as an independent director of Teaching Strategies, a KKR portfolio company, and sits on the boards of numerous non-profits, including the U.S. Soccer Foundation, GetSchooled, the Business Forward Foundation, the CityBridge Foundation, and the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.

Sutphen joined 2U from Brunswick where he served as a Partner and head of the firm’s Washington, DC office. A lawyer by training, he began his career in civil rights before practicing law at Covington & Burling and entering politics, where he worked as Chief of Staff to Congressman Harold Ford Jr. and Judiciary Committee General Counsel to the late Senator Edward Kennedy. After nearly a decade on Capitol Hill, he moved into the media and entertainment sector to work as a senior lobbyist at the Recording Industry Association of America and Viacom.

He is an honors graduate and former trustee of Amherst College, where he played varsity soccer and ran track. He earned his law degree from the University of Michigan, where he served on the Editorial Board of the Law Review before clerking on the United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. He lives in Washington, DC with his son Austin.