The board of trustees for
Alverno College in Milwaukee announced today that
Christy Brown, the chief executive officer of
Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, has been named the new president of the private women’s college.
A Milwaukee native, Brown has served as the CEO of Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast since 2012.
“One of our core tenets at Girl Scouts is championing girl ambition. We recognize and are so proud of Christy’s accomplishment in being named president at Alverno College,” said Nicole Best, Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast board chair. “Christy has dedicated more than ten years to building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place, and this next chapter for her will only further that bold mission as she builds the next generation of empowered, mission-minded and courageous women in the state and beyond. We cannot wait to see and celebrate the results of her inspiring work.”
At Alverno, Brown succeeds
Sister Andrea Lee, who
ended her service in June 2022. Brown starts her term on July 5. She will be the ninth president in Alverno’s history.
At Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, Brown led an organization with 17,000 members in seven counties.
“I see a comparable goal (to the Girl Scouts) in Alverno’s mission to prepare women for personal and professional distinction and meaningful engagement with the world,” Brown said. “To lead Alverno College -- embracing its unique identity, Franciscan values, dedication to women’s education and commitment to social justice, inclusion and equity -- will be a privilege and extraordinary opportunity to continue to impact the city from which I come.”
“Christy brings to Alverno a unique mix of higher education and mission-driven expertise focused on girls and young women’s leadership development,” said Katherine M. Hudson, chair of Alverno’s Board of Trustees and Presidential Search Committee co-chair. “She is a dynamic, inspirational and transformational leader with more than two decades of results advancing organizational mission, vision and values while achieving unprecedented operational outcomes.”
Brown has an extensive academic background. Prior to joining Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, she served as vice chancellor of finance and administrative affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 2007 to 2012 and as executive vice president and general counsel for Milwaukee Area Technical College from 2002 to 2007.
Brown is also a member of The Medical College of Wisconsin’s Board of Trustees and the Duke Law Alumnae Leadership Council. She has also held leadership and membership roles at several other state and local organizations, including serving as past member of the Carroll University Board of Trustees and as a past appointee of the Wisconsin Educational Approval Board.
Brown graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor of arts degree in psychology in 1987. She then pursued a joint-degree graduate program earning in 1994 both her juris doctor from Duke University School of Law and a master of arts in humanities with a focus on african american history and women’s studies from Duke University Graduate School.
“Known both locally and nationally as a passionate advocate for girls and women, we can’t wait to welcome Christy to Alverno,” Hudson said.
