Beverly Ledbetter, who has served as general counsel at Brown University in Providence Rhode Island, for the past 40 years has announced that she will retire at the end of the academic year. In 1978, she was appointed the university’s inaugural general counsel and has served as Brown’s chief legal officer ever since.
Brown University President Christina Paxson said that “Beverly is a brilliant legal mind and a fierce advocate for the best interests of Brown. She’s also a treasured and trusted colleague whose impact on Brown’s progress is immeasurable. Without her expert and reliable counsel over four decades, Brown would not be the university it is today.”
In looking back at her work over the past four decades, Ledbetter explains that “we work to help the university move forward with the least restraint on its own principles and values. You look for a solution that accommodates the offices and colleagues that you serve in the short run, but that preserves the university’s interests over the long run. It’s very easy to find short-term solutions — but doing what is best for Brown for the decades to come is a responsibility we take very seriously.”
Ledbetter is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she majored in chemistry. She earned a juris doctorate at the University of Colorado Law School.
Have watched you over the years serve with a sense of honor , integrity and intelligence. We are so very proud of our Beverly Ledbetter! Best wishes to you on your next chapter .
With Much Admiration and Love