Anthony G. Brown
Encyclopedia
Anthony G. Brown is a Democratic Party
politician
from the State of Maryland
and is the current Lieutenant Governor
of Maryland
. He was elected as Maryland’s eighth Lieutenant Governor in 2006 on a ticket with Governor Martin O'Malley. Both were reelected in 2010. He is the second African American
elected to statewide office in Maryland
. Brown previously served two terms in the Maryland House of Delegates
, representing Prince George's County
. A 27-year veteran
of the United States Army
, he is currently a Colonel
in the United States Army Reserve
. Brown is the highest-ranking elected official in the nation to have served a tour of duty in Iraq.
, Jamaica
to attend Fordham University
. His mother Lilly I. Brown came from Altdorf
Switzerland
to New York
where she raised Anthony and his sister and three brothers.
He attended public school on Long Island
, graduating from Huntington High School
in 1979. In his senior year, Brown became the first African American ever elected president of Huntington High School. After high school, Brown attended Harvard College
, where he majored in Government and resided in Quincy House
. At Harvard, Brown served on the Student Advisory Committee at the Kennedy School of Government's Institute of Politics. Since Harvard did not offer ROTC at the time, in his second year, Brown enrolled in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program at MIT and earned a two-year scholarship. In 1984, Brown graduated with an A.B.
cum laude, and as a Distinguished Military Graduate.
. During his time in active duty, Brown served as a helicopter pilot with the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division in Europe
. During that period of active duty, Brown held positions as platoon leader for a target acquisition, reconnaissance and surveillance platoon, executive officer
of a general support aviation company, a battalion
logistics officer
, and the flight operations officer for Task Force 23.
After completing his active duty service, Brown continued his military service as a Judge Advocate General
(JAG) in the United States Army Reserve
. His assignments included Commander of the 153rd Legal Support Organization in Norristown, Pennsylvania, where, in addition to supporting deploying service members and their families with legal services, he mobilized eighteen soldiers to Fort Hood, Texas in support of the III Corps' Operation New Dawn mission to Iraq. Prior to his tenure with the 153rd LSO, Brown was the Staff Judge Advocate for the 353rd Civil Affairs Command headquartered at Fort Wadsworth, New York. Brown began his service as a JAG with the 10th LSO in Upper Marlboro, Maryland
, where he held numerous assignments, including in the areas of international law and claims law. Currently, Brown is a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Brown served in Baghdad
, Fallujah
, Kirkuk
, and Basra
with the 353rd Civil Affairs Command as Senior Consultant to the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration. Brown received the Bronze Star
for his distinguished service in Iraq.
Sources
in the fall of 1989. He attended Harvard Law School at the same time as other notable African Americans, including future-President Barack Obama
, Artur Davis
and actor Hill Harper
. At Harvard Law, Brown was a member of the Board of Student Advisers. Brown's third-year paper, written under the supervision of Professor Charles Ogletree
, analyzed the scope of the Fourth Amendment's protections against unreasonable search and seizure in the military. Brown was Chair of the Membership Committee of the Black Law Students Association and a member of the Board of Student Advisers. Brown graduated from Harvard Law, with a Juris Doctor
in 1992.
After graduating from law school, Brown completed a two-year clerkship for Chief Judge Eugene Sullivan
of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
. In 1994, he joined the Washington, D.C.
office of the international law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering (now WilmerHale). Brown practiced law with John Payton
, who is currently the president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Stephen Sachs who was the United States Attorney
for the District of Maryland from 1967 to 1970 and was the 40th Attorney General of Maryland
. In 1998, Brown received Wilmer's Pro Bono Publico
Award for his work in representing indigent clients. Brown joined the Prince George’s County land use and zoning law firm Gibbs & Haller in 2000, after having been elected to the Maryland General Assembly
.
, representing District 25 in Prince George’s County
. Brown ran on a ticket with Senator Ulysses Currie
, Delegate Dereck Davis
, and Delegate Melony Griffith
. He served two terms in the Maryland House of Delegates and rose to several positions of leadership. During his first term, Brown served on the House Economic Matters Committee. He was appointed Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee in 2003. In 2004, Speaker of the House Michael E. Busch
appointed Brown to the position of Majority Whip
, the fourth-ranking position in the House.
on a ticket with Martin O’Malley, the former Mayor of Baltimore. The pair were the only challenging candidates to defeat an incumbent gubernatorial ticket in the 2006 election cycle. On January 17, 2007, Brown was sworn in as Maryland's 8th lieutenant governor. Both Brown and O'Malley were reelected by a 56% to 42% margin on Nov. 2, 2010. Brown was the first person ever elected Lieutenant Governor directly from the Maryland House of Delegates.
Governor O’Malley has tasked Brown to lead the O'Malley-Brown Administration's efforts on several policy fronts, including efforts to expand and improve health care, support economic development, help victims of domestic violence
, increase access to higher education, and provide Veterans with better services and resources.
In July 2010, Brown was elected chair of the National Lieutenant Governors Association
, a position he served in for a term of one year.
He has led much of the state's efforts to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including shepherding legislation through the Maryland General Assembly
to create a health insurance exchange
.
Brown is also leading efforts to address health disparities
among racial and ethnic groups in Maryland. As co-chair of the Maryland Health Quality and Cost Council (HQCC), Lt. Governor Brown will oversee a new health disparities workgroup within the HQCC. The workgroup, which will be led by Dr. E. Albert Reece, Dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, will design strategies and initiatives to address disparities inside the health care system. Maryland’s Health Quality and Cost Council’s new health disparities workgroup will consider a wide range of policies to reduce disparities within the health care system, including possible financial and performance-based incentives such as encouraging doctors to practice in underserved communities or rewarding reductions in preventable hospitalizations among racial and ethnic communities. At the end of the year, the Lt. Governor will take the lead in combining the workgroup’s efforts with the expansion of innovative community programs and additional State-level policy changes to form a blueprint for how Maryland can address and reduce disparities throughout the State.
Governor Martin O’Malley has appointed Lt. Governor Brown to serve as Chair of the Joint Legislative and Executive Commission on Oversight of [Public-Private Partnerships]. The fifteen member Commission was established in 2010 under House Bill 1370 to evaluate the State’s framework and oversight of public-private partnerships. Under Lt. Governor Brown’s leadership, the Commission is working to fulfill its responsibilities and increase the potential for private investment in public infrastructure projects. This includes assessing the oversight, best practices, and approval processes for public-private partnerships in other states; evaluating the definition of public-private partnership; making recommendations concerning the appropriate manner of conducting legislative monitoring and oversight of public-private partnerships; and making recommendations concerning broad policy parameters within which public-private partnerships should be negotiated. It will release a report to the Governor and General Assembly by the end of 2011.
Lieutenant Governor Brown has been tasked by Governor O’Malley to lead the BRAC Subcabinet and the implementation of Maryland’s BRAC Plan, which was released in 2007 to ensure the State would be ready for the incoming growth created by the influx of 28,000 households and 45,000 to 60,000 jobs to the State. Since 2007, the BRAC Subcabinet has met regularly with BRAC stakeholders to coordinate and sychronize the State’s efforts with public and private partners to address BRAC needs. The BRAC Plan sets forth new initiatives and priorities to address the human capital and physical infrastructure requirements to support BRAC, as well as to seize the opportunities that BRAC presents, while preserving the quality of life already enjoyed by Marylanders. Several of the larger moves include the Army’s Communications–Electronics Command (CECOM
) to Aberdeen Proving Ground
from Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey, and the Air National Guard Readiness Center at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility Washington. The Defense Information Systems Agency
is locating to Fort George G. Meade
from northern Virginia and Walter Reed Army Medical Center
is moving to the Bethesda Naval Hospital
to create the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
at Bethesda.
Under Brown’s leadership, Maryland has made considerable progress in its preparation for BRAC, leading the Association of Defense Communities to recognize Brown as their 2011 Public Official of the Year.
Some highlights of the BRAC Subcabinet efforts include:
• Establishment of the BRAC Higher Education Fund, which includes grants that have enabled 2100 Marylanders to be educated towards BRAC-related careers.
• Creation of BRAC Zones under the BRAC Community Enhancement Act. BRAC Zones provide a funding mechanism for local governments that have identified infrastructure needs to support BRAC-impacted areas.
• Offering incentive funding and professional development through the Maryland State Department of Education
to increase the number of BRAC-related Career Technology Education
programs, and STEM fields
(Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics courses), offered to high school students.
• Creation by the Maryland Higher Education Commission of the Maryland Internship Center, a web-based clearinghouse of internship opportunities which serves as a central location for internship opportunities within the military and defense-related industries.
• Hosting various job fairs with the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
to assist Marylanders in linking up to BRAC job opportunities and establishing One-Stop Centers in Northern Virginia and Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey, to facilitate the transfer of employees and families to Maryland.
• Promotion of small and minority businesses contracting opportunities at Joint Base Andrews with the Governor’s Office on Minority Affairs.
• Construction of the highest transportation priority project for Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) – US 40/MD 715, a $42.6 million project that will improve traffic flow in and around the installation and community.
• Announcement of new funding for advancing the most important priorities for Fort
Meade – a set of improvements along MD 175 from the Baltimore-Washington Parkway
onto growth areas of Fort Meade.
• Announcement of $4.5 million in new funds to address BRAC transportation needs at Joint Base Andrews.
• Announcement of a portion of $300 million in new federal funds to address BRAC transportation needs at the National Military Medical Center at Bethesda.
In 2009, Lt. Governor Brown led efforts to improve domestic violence laws and take guns out of the hands of domestic abusers by allowing judges to order the respondent in a temporary protective order to surrender any firearms in his or her possession.
During the 2010 Legislative Session, Brown worked with the General Assembly to pass legislation allowing a victim of domestic abuse to terminate a residential lease with a copy of a final protective order.
Brown also leads efforts to expand the availability of Hospital-Based Domestic Violence Screening Programs at Maryland hospitals to help identify victims of domestic violence and connect them to support services. In 2010, he helped launch Maryland’s fifth hospital-based domestic violence program at Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly. Similar programs are also in place in the Baltimore region at Anne Arundel Medical Center, Mercy Medical Center, Sinai Hospital and Northwest Hospital.
Brown is the nation’s highest-ranking elected official to have served a tour of duty in Iraq. Before Martin O’Malley officially announced his candidacy for governor, Brown’s name was hotly circulated as a running mate in large part due to his military service in Iraq.
During the 2008 session of the Maryland General Assembly, Brown led the administration’s successful efforts to pass a sweeping veterans package, including passage of the Veterans Behavioral Health Act of 2008. The legislation sets aside $2.3 million for the expansion of direct services to OIF/OEF veterans living with behavioral and mental health problem. The legislation also named Brown chair of the Maryland Veterans Behavioral Health Advisory Board.
Other legislation passed as part of the ‘Maryland’s Commitment to Veterans’ package includes:
, in September 2007, Brown initially endorsed Hillary Clinton for President
in the 2008 election
. He campaigned for her in several states, including South Carolina
and Georgia
. In June 2008, Brown subsequently endorsed Obama.
In July 2008, Brown was appointed to the Democratic National Committee
’s Platform Committee and served on the Platform Drafting Committee. Brown led the efforts to strengthen the Democratic Party
’s commitment to veterans and ensuring that the Chesapeake Bay
be named as a “national treasure.” Brown was a ‘Party Leader/Elected Official’ delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention
in Denver, Colorado
in late August 2008 and cast his vote for then-Senator Barack Obama
, along with 98 members of the Maryland delegation.
Brown was named Co-Chair of the Obama/Biden Presidential Transition Agency Review Team
for the Department of Veterans Affairs
on November 14, 2008.
and is enrolled in a number of Advanced Placement and Honors courses. She performs in the Chamber Orchestra and is a member of the mock trial team. Jonathan attends St. Pius X Regional School in Bowie, Maryland
and has a strong interest in science and social studies. Brown is an assistant coach of Jonathan's baseball team, the Maryland Sluggers.
On May 16, 2011, Brown and Karmen Walker announced their engagement
to marry in the Summer of 2012. Karmen is a director of government relations with Comcast
and lives in Hughesville, Maryland
.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from the State of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and is the current Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
The Lieutenant Governor of Maryland is the second highest ranking official in the executive branch of the state government of Maryland in the United States. He or she is elected on the same ticket as the Governor of Maryland and must meet the same qualifications.The current Lieutenant Governor is...
of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. He was elected as Maryland’s eighth Lieutenant Governor in 2006 on a ticket with Governor Martin O'Malley. Both were reelected in 2010. He is the second African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
elected to statewide office in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. Brown previously served two terms in the Maryland House of Delegates
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...
, representing Prince George's County
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
. A 27-year veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, he is currently a Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
in the United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
. Brown is the highest-ranking elected official in the nation to have served a tour of duty in Iraq.
Early life, education, military career, & legal career
Brown was born in 1961 in Huntington, New York to immigrant parents. His father Roy H. Brown, a physician, came to the United States from KingstonKingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
to attend Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
. His mother Lilly I. Brown came from Altdorf
Altdorf, Switzerland
Altdorf is the capital of the Swiss canton of Uri. The municipality covers an area of and is located at a height of above sea-level, to the right of the river Reuss.-Location:...
Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where she raised Anthony and his sister and three brothers.
He attended public school on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, graduating from Huntington High School
Huntington High School (New York)
Huntington High School is a four-year, public secondary school located in Huntington, New York. It functions as the high school for the Huntington Union Free School District, serving students in Huntington...
in 1979. In his senior year, Brown became the first African American ever elected president of Huntington High School. After high school, Brown attended Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
, where he majored in Government and resided in Quincy House
Quincy House (Harvard)
Quincy House is one of the twelve upperclass residential houses of Harvard University, located on Plympton Street between Harvard Yard and the Charles River. Quincy House was named after Josiah Quincy III , president of Harvard from 1829 to 1845. It is the second largest of the twelve...
. At Harvard, Brown served on the Student Advisory Committee at the Kennedy School of Government's Institute of Politics. Since Harvard did not offer ROTC at the time, in his second year, Brown enrolled in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program at MIT and earned a two-year scholarship. In 1984, Brown graduated with an A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
cum laude, and as a Distinguished Military Graduate.
Military career
Upon graduation, he received a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He graduated first in his flight class at Fort Rucker, AlabamaFort Rucker
Fort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located mostly in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training base for Army Aviation and is home to the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and...
. During his time in active duty, Brown served as a helicopter pilot with the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. During that period of active duty, Brown held positions as platoon leader for a target acquisition, reconnaissance and surveillance platoon, executive officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
of a general support aviation company, a battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
logistics officer
Logistics Officer
A Logistics Officer is a member of an armed force responsible for overseeing the support of an army, air force, or navy both at home and abroad. Logistics Officers can be stationary on military bases or deployed as an active part of a field army, air wing, or naval force. The responsibilities of...
, and the flight operations officer for Task Force 23.
After completing his active duty service, Brown continued his military service as a Judge Advocate General
Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, refers to the legal branch or specialty of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called Judge Advocates. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard do not maintain separate JAG Corps...
(JAG) in the United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
. His assignments included Commander of the 153rd Legal Support Organization in Norristown, Pennsylvania, where, in addition to supporting deploying service members and their families with legal services, he mobilized eighteen soldiers to Fort Hood, Texas in support of the III Corps' Operation New Dawn mission to Iraq. Prior to his tenure with the 153rd LSO, Brown was the Staff Judge Advocate for the 353rd Civil Affairs Command headquartered at Fort Wadsworth, New York. Brown began his service as a JAG with the 10th LSO in Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Upper Marlboro is a town in and the county seat of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The live-in population of the town core proper was only 648 at the 2000 census, although Greater Upper Marlboro is many times larger....
, where he held numerous assignments, including in the areas of international law and claims law. Currently, Brown is a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
In 2004, Brown, a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, was deployed to IraqIraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Brown served in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Fallujah
Fallujah
Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
, Kirkuk
Kirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
, and Basra
Basra
Basra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
with the 353rd Civil Affairs Command as Senior Consultant to the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration. Brown received the Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
for his distinguished service in Iraq.
Awards, ribbons and badges
 Legion of MeritLegion of Merit The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements... |
 Bronze Star MedalBronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the... |
 Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal (United States) The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969... |
 Army Commendation MedalCommendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. For valorous actions in direct contact with an enemy force, but of a lesser degree than required for the award of the Bronze Star, the Valor device may... |
 Army Achievement MedalAchievement Medal The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States military. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize the contributions of junior officers and enlisted personnel who were not eligible to receive the higher Commendation Medal or the Meritorious Service... |
 Army Superior Unit AwardSuperior Unit Award The Superior Unit Award is a decoration of the United States Army which is awarded in peacetime to any unit of the Army which displays outstanding meritorious performance of a difficult and challenging mission carried out under extraordinary circumstances.... |
 Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal |
 National Defense Service MedalNational Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower... |
 Global War on Terrorism Service MedalGlobal War on Terrorism Service Medal The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal is a military award of the United States military which was created by Executive Order 13289 of President George W. Bush on March 12, 2003... |
 Iraq Campaign MedalIraq Campaign Medal The Iraq Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States armed forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of President George W. Bush on November 29, 2004. The Iraq Campaign Medal was designed by the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry.... |
 Outstanding Volunteer Service MedalMilitary Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal The Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal is a military award which was created under Executive Order 12830 by George H. W. Bush on January 9, 1993... |
 Army Overseas Service RibbonOverseas Service Ribbon An Overseas Service Ribbon is a service military award of the United States military which recognizes those service members who have performed military tours of duty outside the borders of the United States of America. There are different versions of the Overseas Service Ribbons for the U.S. Army,... |
 Army Reserve Overseas Training RibbonOverseas Service Ribbon An Overseas Service Ribbon is a service military award of the United States military which recognizes those service members who have performed military tours of duty outside the borders of the United States of America. There are different versions of the Overseas Service Ribbons for the U.S. Army,... |
 Armed Forces Reserve MedalArmed Forces Reserve Medal The Armed Forces Reserve Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that has existed since 1950. The medal recognizes service performed by the Reserve and National Guard forces of the United States of America.... |
 Army Service RibbonArmy Service Ribbon The Army Service Ribbon is a military decoration of the United States Army that was established by the Secretary of the Army on 10 April 1981 as announced in Department of the Army General Order 15, dated 10 October 1990.... |
| Army Aviator Badge United States Aviator Badge A United States Aviator Badge refers to three types of aviation badges issued by the United States military, those being for Army, Air Force, and Naval aviation.... |
 Parachutist BadgeParachutist Badge (United States) The Parachutist Badge, also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings" or "Snow Cone", is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces awarded to members of the United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy... |
 Air Assault BadgeAir Assault Badge The Air Assault Badge, pictured to the right, is awarded by the U.S. Army for successful completion of the Air Assault School, a two-week course. The course includes three phases of instruction involving U.S. Army rotary wing aircraft: combat air assault operations; rigging and slingload... |
Sources
Law school & legal career
After serving five years on active duty, Brown returned to the United States to attend Harvard Law SchoolHarvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in the fall of 1989. He attended Harvard Law School at the same time as other notable African Americans, including future-President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, Artur Davis
Artur Davis
Artur Genestre Davis is a former member of the United States House of Representatives for , serving from 2003 to 2011 when he was succeeded by Terri Sewell, also a member of the Democratic Party....
and actor Hill Harper
Hill Harper
Francis Harper , known professionally as Hill Harper, is an American film, television and stage actor, and author. An alumnus of Harvard Law School, he is best known for his portrayal of Dr...
. At Harvard Law, Brown was a member of the Board of Student Advisers. Brown's third-year paper, written under the supervision of Professor Charles Ogletree
Charles Ogletree
Charles J. Ogletree is Jesse Climenko Professor at Harvard Law School, the founder of the school's Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice, and the author of numerous books on legal topics....
, analyzed the scope of the Fourth Amendment's protections against unreasonable search and seizure in the military. Brown was Chair of the Membership Committee of the Black Law Students Association and a member of the Board of Student Advisers. Brown graduated from Harvard Law, with a Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
in 1992.
After graduating from law school, Brown completed a two-year clerkship for Chief Judge Eugene Sullivan
Eugene R. Sullivan
Eugene R. Sullivan is a former Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. He was nominated to the Court by President Ronald Reagan, confirmed by the U.S. Senate and installed in 1986. President George H.W. Bush named him the Chief Judge in 1990...
of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
The United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces or CAAF is an Article I court that exercises worldwide appellate jurisdiction over members of the United States armed forces on active duty and other persons subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice...
. In 1994, he joined the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
office of the international law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering (now WilmerHale). Brown practiced law with John Payton
John Payton
John A. Payton is a well-known African-American civil rights attorney. In 2008, Payton was appointed the sixth president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Prior to this, he was a Partner at the law firm Wilmer Hale for twenty years. -Early life and education:Payton grew up in...
, who is currently the president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Stephen Sachs who was the United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the District of Maryland from 1967 to 1970 and was the 40th Attorney General of Maryland
Attorney General of Maryland
The Attorney General of Maryland is the chief legal officer of the State of Maryland in the United States and is elected by the people every four years with no term limits...
. In 1998, Brown received Wilmer's Pro Bono Publico
Pro bono
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
Award for his work in representing indigent clients. Brown joined the Prince George’s County land use and zoning law firm Gibbs & Haller in 2000, after having been elected to the Maryland General Assembly
Maryland General Assembly
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...
.
Maryland House of Delegates
Brown's political career began in 1998, when he was elected to serve in the Maryland House of DelegatesMaryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...
, representing District 25 in Prince George’s County
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
. Brown ran on a ticket with Senator Ulysses Currie
Ulysses Currie
Ulysses Currie is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. He is currently serving in his 4th term in the Maryland State Senate, representing Maryland's District 25 in Prince George's County. Currie is Chair of the powerful Budget and Taxation...
, Delegate Dereck Davis
Dereck E. Davis
Dereck Eugene Davis is an American politician who represents district 25 in the Maryland House of Delegates.-Background:Delegate Davis was born in Washington, D.C., on June 6, 1967. He attended Central High School, Capitol Heights, Maryland and graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.A....
, and Delegate Melony Griffith
Melony G. Griffith
Melony Ghee Griffith is an American politician who represents district 25 in the Maryland House of Delegates. -Background:On June 5, 1963, Delegate Griffith was born in Abilene, Texas to Frank F. and Mary E. Ghee and raised on Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and the Malmstrom Air Force...
. He served two terms in the Maryland House of Delegates and rose to several positions of leadership. During his first term, Brown served on the House Economic Matters Committee. He was appointed Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee in 2003. In 2004, Speaker of the House Michael E. Busch
Michael E. Busch
Michael E. Busch is the current Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates in the United States. Busch has been a member of the House since 1987, and Speaker since January 2003...
appointed Brown to the position of Majority Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
, the fourth-ranking position in the House.
Lieutenant Governor
In 2006, Brown was elected Lieutenant GovernorLieutenant Governor of Maryland
The Lieutenant Governor of Maryland is the second highest ranking official in the executive branch of the state government of Maryland in the United States. He or she is elected on the same ticket as the Governor of Maryland and must meet the same qualifications.The current Lieutenant Governor is...
on a ticket with Martin O’Malley, the former Mayor of Baltimore. The pair were the only challenging candidates to defeat an incumbent gubernatorial ticket in the 2006 election cycle. On January 17, 2007, Brown was sworn in as Maryland's 8th lieutenant governor. Both Brown and O'Malley were reelected by a 56% to 42% margin on Nov. 2, 2010. Brown was the first person ever elected Lieutenant Governor directly from the Maryland House of Delegates.
Governor O’Malley has tasked Brown to lead the O'Malley-Brown Administration's efforts on several policy fronts, including efforts to expand and improve health care, support economic development, help victims of domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
, increase access to higher education, and provide Veterans with better services and resources.
In July 2010, Brown was elected chair of the National Lieutenant Governors Association
National Lieutenant Governors Association
The National Lieutenant Governors Association is the non-profit, nonpartisan professional association for elected or appointed officials who are first in line of succession to the governors in the 50 U.S. states and the five organized territories...
, a position he served in for a term of one year.
Health Care
As Co-Chair of the Maryland Health Care Reform Coordinating Council and Maryland’s Health Quality and Cost Council, Lt. Governor Brown leads the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s efforts to reduce costs, expand access, and improve the quality of care for all Marylanders.He has led much of the state's efforts to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including shepherding legislation through the Maryland General Assembly
Maryland General Assembly
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...
to create a health insurance exchange
Health insurance exchange
A health insurance exchange is a set of state-regulated and standardized health care plans in the United States, from which individuals may purchase health insurance that is eligible for Federal subsidies...
.
Brown is also leading efforts to address health disparities
Health disparities
Health equity refers to the study of differences in the quality of health and health care across different populations....
among racial and ethnic groups in Maryland. As co-chair of the Maryland Health Quality and Cost Council (HQCC), Lt. Governor Brown will oversee a new health disparities workgroup within the HQCC. The workgroup, which will be led by Dr. E. Albert Reece, Dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, will design strategies and initiatives to address disparities inside the health care system. Maryland’s Health Quality and Cost Council’s new health disparities workgroup will consider a wide range of policies to reduce disparities within the health care system, including possible financial and performance-based incentives such as encouraging doctors to practice in underserved communities or rewarding reductions in preventable hospitalizations among racial and ethnic communities. At the end of the year, the Lt. Governor will take the lead in combining the workgroup’s efforts with the expansion of innovative community programs and additional State-level policy changes to form a blueprint for how Maryland can address and reduce disparities throughout the State.
Economic Development
Lt. Governor Brown leads the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s economic development portfolio. He serves as Chair of numerous economic development initiatives, including the Joint Legislative and Executive Commission on Oversight of Public-Private Partnerships, the Governor’s Subcabinet on Base Realignment and Closure, and the FastTrack initiative – part of Maryland Made Easy (www.easy.maryland.gov) – to streamline the state permitting process for businesses and developers.Public-Private Partnerships
Governor Martin O’Malley has appointed Lt. Governor Brown to serve as Chair of the Joint Legislative and Executive Commission on Oversight of [Public-Private Partnerships]. The fifteen member Commission was established in 2010 under House Bill 1370 to evaluate the State’s framework and oversight of public-private partnerships. Under Lt. Governor Brown’s leadership, the Commission is working to fulfill its responsibilities and increase the potential for private investment in public infrastructure projects. This includes assessing the oversight, best practices, and approval processes for public-private partnerships in other states; evaluating the definition of public-private partnership; making recommendations concerning the appropriate manner of conducting legislative monitoring and oversight of public-private partnerships; and making recommendations concerning broad policy parameters within which public-private partnerships should be negotiated. It will release a report to the Governor and General Assembly by the end of 2011.
BRAC subcabinet
Lieutenant Governor Brown has been tasked by Governor O’Malley to lead the BRAC Subcabinet and the implementation of Maryland’s BRAC Plan, which was released in 2007 to ensure the State would be ready for the incoming growth created by the influx of 28,000 households and 45,000 to 60,000 jobs to the State. Since 2007, the BRAC Subcabinet has met regularly with BRAC stakeholders to coordinate and sychronize the State’s efforts with public and private partners to address BRAC needs. The BRAC Plan sets forth new initiatives and priorities to address the human capital and physical infrastructure requirements to support BRAC, as well as to seize the opportunities that BRAC presents, while preserving the quality of life already enjoyed by Marylanders. Several of the larger moves include the Army’s Communications–Electronics Command (CECOM
CECOM
The CECOM Life Cycle Management Command aspires to be the Army's premier Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capabilities provider...
) to Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aberdeen Proving Ground is a United States Army facility located near Aberdeen, Maryland, . Part of the facility is a census-designated place , which had a population of 3,116 at the 2000 census.- History :...
from Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey, and the Air National Guard Readiness Center at Joint Base Andrews Naval Air Facility Washington. The Defense Information Systems Agency
Defense Information Systems Agency
The Defense Information Systems Agency is a United States Department of Defense agency that provides information technology and communications support to the President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, the military Services, and the Combatant Commands.As part of the Base Realignment and...
is locating to Fort George G. Meade
Fort George G. Meade
Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation that includes the Defense Information School, the United States Army Field Band, and the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, the National Security Agency, and the Defense Courier Service...
from northern Virginia and Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center was the United States Army's flagship medical center until 2011. Located on 113 acres in Washington, D.C., it served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military...
is moving to the Bethesda Naval Hospital
National Naval Medical Center
The National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, USA — commonly known as the Bethesda Naval Hospital — was for decades the flagship of the United States Navy's system of medical centers. A federal institution, it conducted medical and dental research as well as providing health care for...
to create the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is a tri-service military medical center located on the Bethesda, Maryland, USA campus of the former National Naval Medical Center.-Leadership:Commander:Rear Admiral Alton L. Stocks, MD...
at Bethesda.
Under Brown’s leadership, Maryland has made considerable progress in its preparation for BRAC, leading the Association of Defense Communities to recognize Brown as their 2011 Public Official of the Year.
Some highlights of the BRAC Subcabinet efforts include:
• Establishment of the BRAC Higher Education Fund, which includes grants that have enabled 2100 Marylanders to be educated towards BRAC-related careers.
• Creation of BRAC Zones under the BRAC Community Enhancement Act. BRAC Zones provide a funding mechanism for local governments that have identified infrastructure needs to support BRAC-impacted areas.
• Offering incentive funding and professional development through the Maryland State Department of Education
Maryland State Department of Education
Maryland State Department of Education is a division of the state government of Maryland in the United States. The agency oversees public school districts. The agency is headquartered at 200 West Baltimore Street in Baltimore...
to increase the number of BRAC-related Career Technology Education
Vocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
programs, and STEM fields
STEM fields
STEM fields is a US Government acronym for the fields of study in the categories of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The acronym is in use regarding access to work visas for immigrants who are skilled in these fields. Maintaining a citizenry that is well versed in the STEM fields...
(Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics courses), offered to high school students.
• Creation by the Maryland Higher Education Commission of the Maryland Internship Center, a web-based clearinghouse of internship opportunities which serves as a central location for internship opportunities within the military and defense-related industries.
• Hosting various job fairs with the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
The Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation is a government agency in the U.S. state of Maryland. DLLR is overseen by Secretary Alexander M. Sanchez...
to assist Marylanders in linking up to BRAC job opportunities and establishing One-Stop Centers in Northern Virginia and Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey, to facilitate the transfer of employees and families to Maryland.
• Promotion of small and minority businesses contracting opportunities at Joint Base Andrews with the Governor’s Office on Minority Affairs.
• Construction of the highest transportation priority project for Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) – US 40/MD 715, a $42.6 million project that will improve traffic flow in and around the installation and community.
• Announcement of new funding for advancing the most important priorities for Fort
Meade – a set of improvements along MD 175 from the Baltimore-Washington Parkway
Baltimore-Washington Parkway
The Baltimore–Washington Parkway is a highway in the U.S. state of Maryland, running southwest from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The road begins at an interchange with U.S. Route 50 and Maryland Route 201 near Cheverly in Prince George's County at the D.C...
onto growth areas of Fort Meade.
• Announcement of $4.5 million in new funds to address BRAC transportation needs at Joint Base Andrews.
• Announcement of a portion of $300 million in new federal funds to address BRAC transportation needs at the National Military Medical Center at Bethesda.
Addressing Domestic Violence
Addressing [domestic violence] is a personal cause for Lt. Governor Brown. In August 2008, his cousin Cathy was murdered by her estranged boyfriend. Building on his experience as a legislator and the perspective this tragedy provided him, Brown has championed reforms to fight domestic violence and provide improved support to victims.In 2009, Lt. Governor Brown led efforts to improve domestic violence laws and take guns out of the hands of domestic abusers by allowing judges to order the respondent in a temporary protective order to surrender any firearms in his or her possession.
During the 2010 Legislative Session, Brown worked with the General Assembly to pass legislation allowing a victim of domestic abuse to terminate a residential lease with a copy of a final protective order.
Brown also leads efforts to expand the availability of Hospital-Based Domestic Violence Screening Programs at Maryland hospitals to help identify victims of domestic violence and connect them to support services. In 2010, he helped launch Maryland’s fifth hospital-based domestic violence program at Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly. Similar programs are also in place in the Baltimore region at Anne Arundel Medical Center, Mercy Medical Center, Sinai Hospital and Northwest Hospital.
Higher Education
Lt. Governor Brown leads the O’Malley-Brown Administration’s efforts to increase higher education opportunities. The administration has taken steps to make a higher education more accessible and affordable for all Marylanders, including making record investments in community colleges and working to keep an education affordable at four year public colleges and universities. In 2010, Lt. Governor launched the Skills2Compete initiative, which promotes programs and activities that lead to increasing the skill level of Marylanders though the attainment of a post-secondary credential, apprenticeship program or degree.Veterans affairs
During the 2008 session of the Maryland General Assembly, Brown led the administration’s successful efforts to pass a sweeping veterans package, including passage of the Veterans Behavioral Health Act of 2008. The legislation sets aside $2.3 million for the expansion of direct services to OIF/OEF veterans living with behavioral and mental health problem. The legislation also named Brown chair of the Maryland Veterans Behavioral Health Advisory Board.
Other legislation passed as part of the ‘Maryland’s Commitment to Veterans’ package includes:
- Expansion of state scholarship fund for OIF/OEF veterans and their dependents;
- Protection of State-funded business loan program for veterans and service-disable veterans;
- Creation of reintegration program for members of the Maryland National Guard returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan; and
- Expansion of State veteran service centers in rural communities.
2008 election and Obama transition
Despite being a classmate of Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, in September 2007, Brown initially endorsed Hillary Clinton for President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in the 2008 election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
. He campaigned for her in several states, including South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
and Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. In June 2008, Brown subsequently endorsed Obama.
In July 2008, Brown was appointed to the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
’s Platform Committee and served on the Platform Drafting Committee. Brown led the efforts to strengthen the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
’s commitment to veterans and ensuring that the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
be named as a “national treasure.” Brown was a ‘Party Leader/Elected Official’ delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention
2008 Democratic National Convention
The United States 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for President and Vice President of the United States. The convention was held in Denver,...
in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
in late August 2008 and cast his vote for then-Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, along with 98 members of the Maryland delegation.
Brown was named Co-Chair of the Obama/Biden Presidential Transition Agency Review Team
Presidential transition of Barack Obama
The presidential transition of Barack Obama began when he won the United States presidential election on November 4, 2008, and became the President-Elect. He was formally elected by the Electoral College on December 15, 2008...
for the Department of Veterans Affairs
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
on November 14, 2008.
Personal life
Brown is the father of Rebecca and Jonathan. Rebecca is a student at Bowie High SchoolBowie High School (Maryland)
Bowie High School is a public high school in Bowie, Maryland. It is part of Prince George's County Public Schools.-Academics:Bowie High School has the second highest student SAT average in Prince George's County, and is rated second on The Washington Post's Advanced Placement Challenge Index....
and is enrolled in a number of Advanced Placement and Honors courses. She performs in the Chamber Orchestra and is a member of the mock trial team. Jonathan attends St. Pius X Regional School in Bowie, Maryland
Bowie, Maryland
Bowie is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the state of...
and has a strong interest in science and social studies. Brown is an assistant coach of Jonathan's baseball team, the Maryland Sluggers.
On May 16, 2011, Brown and Karmen Walker announced their engagement
Engagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...
to marry in the Summer of 2012. Karmen is a director of government relations with Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
and lives in Hughesville, Maryland
Hughesville, Maryland
Hughesville is a census-designated place in Charles County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,537 at the 2000 census. Truman's Place was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.-Geography:...
.