Meet the New 2022-23 RIT Minett Professor: T. Andrew Brown | October 2022
T. Andrew Brown knows a thing or two about the law, education and equestrians.
He is an attorney and founder and managing partner of Brown Hutchinson, LLP. In addition, Brown just completed nine years on the New York State Board of Regents, the last five as its Vice-Chancellor helping to set statewide education policy and presiding over the University of the State of New York (USNY) and the New York State Education Department.
He is the immediate past president of the New York State Bar Association, a past president of the Monroe County Bar Association and the Rochester Black Bar Association. He served as the City of Rochester’s Corporation Counsel and Chief Legal Officer among other things. His list of accomplishments is notable and long.
And, he is the father of an accomplished equestrian.
Now he is adding another esteemed title as the 2022-23 RIT Frederick H. Minett Professor. He was appointed to the position by President David Munson and Keith Jenkins, vice president and associate provost for Diversity and Inclusion.
The Minett Professorship invites Rochester- area multicultural professionals to the RIT campus to share their expertise with students, faculty and staff for one academic year. It is named after Frederick Minett, owner of a tool and die company in the 1920’s. After his death in 1971, he left an endowment of more than $5 million dollars to RIT to support career education efforts.
We asked Brown a few questions, beginning with what he hopes to accomplish during his year working with the RIT community as a Minett Professor.
In general, what do you hope the “take-away” will be from those with whom you interact?
I hope the takeaway for students and others on the campus will be hearing insights from me based on a blend of lifelong personal and professional experiences that cannot be generated from textbooks alone. What makes me unique are the roads I’ve traveled including my struggles and hardships, along with my successes in law, business and policy making.
You have a lengthy career in the legal field. What was it that first led you to this profession? Was it something you experienced during childhood? Someone you met and admired? A course you may have taken? Family influence?
I first started thinking about becoming a lawyer at some point in middle school. Looking back, I really didn’t know exactly what lawyers did and had no family friends or relatives who were lawyers to talk to about it. So my thoughts were largely shaped from what I observed from TV and news media. I was most taken by the idea of being able to stand up and advocate for the rights of others. Not surprisingly I became a trial lawyer.
You’ve served in many different capacities-from immediate past president of the New York State Bar Association to Vice-Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents. Toss in speaking engagements and travel—what is your secret to juggling it all?
I only wish I truly knew the secret. The best I can say is if you’re doing things that you truly find important and that have a great sense of value to you, you will find it easier to find ways to keep many balls in the air. Many of my pursuits have come at considerable cost and sacrifice. This would not have been an acceptable bargain without the presence of passion in my pursuits and endeavors.
Brown Hutchinson LLP was founded 28 years ago. That is an accomplishment. As an attorney—and-as a business owner, any advice for budding entrepreneurs—for instance students at RIT’s Saunders College of Business?
Full success as a business owner and entrepreneur only comes to those who are fully committed to the business. And as a new business owner you have to steel yourself to ignore the many naysayers who will question your ability to succeed. Doing what you are passionate about will help you stay the course for the long-haul. There are many great business ideas out there, but few who can move them forward. Great businesses rise from great visionaries, people willing to step out of line and take unfamiliar paths in unfamiliar ways. Define what success will be for you, and buy fully into the process to get you there.
When you are not “working”, how do you like to spend your time?
I try to spend as much time as possible with my teenage daughter. She’s an accomplished equestrian fully committed to her sport. She trains six days a week and pretty much lives at the stable. So I spend a lot of time doing what I have to to support and encourage her success. This means spending a lot of time around horses and traveling to horse shows. When I’m not doing that I like to spend time working out at the gym, golfing, reading, mostly fiction, and traveling. That means my plate is always full. I’ve become a master at multitasking and squeezing more than 24 hours out of each day.
Finally, looking back at your college days at Syracuse and University of Michigan Law School, what advice would you share with RIT students?
I truly loved my days at Syracuse University and the University of Michigan. I wish I could go back and do it all over again. The college years and experiences are treasured by most people only after those years are well behind them. Students should strive to get all they can out of the experience, recognizing that they will likely never again have that level of freedom to experiment and explore the world of opportunities. As our future, we should encourage them to dream big, and to think nothing is beyond them.