Today, Brent Leggs, President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation was named on the 2026 EBONY Power 100 List as a Community Crusader. This prestigious recognition celebrates purpose-driven changemakers for their extraordinary work and invaluable impact on communities.

“I am incredibly honored to be recognized as part of Ebony’s Power 100 List this year. Establishing the National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and leading its growth and impact over nearly nine years has been so meaningful to me,” said Brent Leggs, President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Now, as the National Trust’s first Black CEO, I’m excited to continue this work of expanding the American historical narrative and making new inroads into the field for the next generation of preservation leaders.”

From a graduate intern at the National Trust to founder of its African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund (Action Fund), Leggs has been a trailblazer in the industry—reshaping national preservation practices and promoting inclusive community revitalization. Under his visionary leadership at the Action Fund, Leggs raised more than $200 million to preserve historic places across the country, pioneered new approaches to descendant engagement at former sites of enslavement, and helped lead the preservation of nationally significant places such as the childhood home of Nina Simone.

In June 2026, he took the helm of the National Trust as the preservation field itself faces existential threats from Washington. In September, he announced the launch of a first of its kind Historic Preservation Defense Fund to provide resources for legal defense, public advocacy, and community action wherever historic places and the laws that protect them are threatened. Under his guidance, the National Trust continues to safeguard historic places and ensure that every American can see themselves reflected in our shared cultural landscape.

For more than 80 years, EBONY has served as a cultural cornerstone of the Black American experience. The EBONY Power 100 List is their most prestigious recognition, celebrating the Black leaders shaping culture today. The 2026 list spotlights a dynamic class of honorees across business, sports, media, music, science, technology, community leadership, and the arts. Together, they represent creators building global movements, executives transforming industries, athletes redefining leadership, advocates strengthening communities, and innovators imagining the future. Honorees will be celebrated at a gala in Los Angeles in November.