Vernon E. Jordan (born 1935) is a lawyer, civil rights activist, and political advisor. After he earned his law degree at Howard University in 1960, Jordan returned to Atlanta to join the office of Donald L. Hollowell, a civil rights activist. A suit brought by the firm resulted in the admission of African Americans Charlayne Hunter (now Charlayne Hunter-Gault) and Hamilton E. Holmes to the University of Georgia. Jordan worked as the Georgia field director for the NAACP, then for the Southern Regional Council, directing its Voter Education Project from 1964 to 1968. He led the National Urban League from 1971 to 1981. He was known for creating links between the Nixon and Carter administrations and the African American community.  In 2001 he was awarded the Spingarn Medal, which is awarded annually by the NAACP for outstanding achievement by an African American.