Christy Brown

Christy L. Brown, JD, is a transformational higher education leader advancing bold strategies for institutional sustainability, enrollment growth, and expanded educational opportunity. As president of Alverno College, a Catholic women’s college in Milwaukee, and the first person of color to lead the institution, she has guided significant financial and organizational stabilization while positioning the College for long-term success.

Under her leadership, Alverno has embraced athletics as a strategic driver of institutional revitalization, with student-athletes representing more than 40% of the incoming freshman class. This approach reflects Brown’s commitment to reimagining traditional higher education models while expanding educational access and opportunity.

A first-generation college graduate, Brown leads an institution where approximately 70% of students are people of color, 70% are first-generation, and 60% are Pell-eligible.

Her previous leadership roles include CEO of Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administrative Affairs at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and general counsel in higher education. She earned her BA from Stanford University and her MA and JD from Duke University.

A former student-athlete, Brown was recently inducted into her high school’s Athletic Hall of Fame for track and field and basketball.