Joyce Brown Announces Her Retirement as First African American President of FIT

Joyce F. Brown, president of the Fashion Institute of Technology within the State University of New York system, has announced she will step down from her role at the end of this academic year. In 1998, Dr. Brown was appointed as FIT’s first woman and first African American president. Dr. Brown’s leadership has led the institution to create 30 new degree and certificate programs and establish a new 10-story academic building. Additionally, she oversaw the development of FIT’s Social Justice Center, an initiative dedicated to increasing the number of people from underrepresented backgrounds in creative industries; the Center for Innovation, a research center for faculty; and the DTech Lab, an innovation hub for combining design thinking with new technologies. Earlier in her career, Dr. Brown held several positions with other higher education institutions. At the City University of New York, she served as a professor and as the vice chancellor for student affairs, urban affairs, and development programs. From 1990-1992, she served as acting president of CUNY’s Baruch College. Additionally, she spent one year as deputy mayor for public and community affairs for New York City. Dr. Brown received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from from Marymount College in Tarrytown,...