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LIFE Member Profile
Name: Lee Brown
Class: 1961
Major: Criminology Minor: Sociology
Current Residence: Houston, TX
Current Employer: Brown Group International (Chairman and CEO)
Life Member Since: 2003
Lee
Brown received a football scholarship to attend Fresno State and
following in the footsteps of his older brother Nick Brown. Lee
explains that his older brother, football coach and the football
scholarship contributed to his decision to attend Fresno State where he
played offensive guard and defensive tackle for the Bulldogs.
While
attending Fresno State, he majored in criminology and minored in
sociology, as well as worked at Fred Boyd's Hi-Life Restaurant while
supporting his family. Despite Lee's busy schedule, he remained active
on campus through the fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha." Lee says the
fraternity was educationally oriented, emphasizing the importance of
taking education seriously, getting good grades and studying." I saw
[the fraternity] as a very good support group to help me deal with
being a college student," Lee says.
Lee
explains that aside from playing football for the Bulldogs, one of his
most memorable experiences was graduating in 1961 from Fresno State
with his bachelor's in criminology. "I was selected Alumnus of the Year
and in doing so I gave a short speech," he explains. "I told the
graduating class that I went to Fresno State to play football and ended
up getting a good education."
While
working at the San Jose Police Department, Lee continued attending
classes at San Jose State University, where he received his master's
degree in sociology in 1964. He got a second master's degree in
criminology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1968. In
1968, he moved to Portland, Ore. where he worked as a professor and
chairman of the Department of Administration of Justice at Portland
State University. Lee received his doctorate degree from the University
of California, Berkeley in 1970 and became the first African American
in the world to receive a doctorate in criminology. He moved to
Washington, D.C. in 1972 to work at Howard University as a professor of
public administration and the associate director of the Institute for
Urban Affairs and Research. Two years later, Lee returned to Portland
where he became Sheriff of Multnomah County. "I did that for about a
year and a half, and then I took the position as the director of
Justice Services," Lee says." In that position I had all the county's
criminal justice agencies under me." He left Portland to become the
director of public safety for the city of Atlanta, Georgia from 1978 to
1982. In 1982, Lee was asked to go to Houston, Texas as police chief
and remained there until 1990 when he was offered a job as Police
Commissioner of New York City.
Lee
returned to Houston when he learned that his wife had cancer. "I came
back to Houston to spend time with [my first wife] so she could be with
her children, and taught at Texas Southern University," he explains.
When President Clinton was elected into office in 1994, Lee joined his
administration as a member of his Cabinet.
While
in Houston, Lee taught at Rice University for a year and a half as a
professor in the sociology department teaching criminology courses. He
became the first Senior Scholar in the James A. Baker III Institute for
Public Policy at Rice University. Lee resigned from Rice University in
1997 when he got elected as the first African American mayor in the
City of Houston. He took office in 1998 and served the maximum three
terms as mayor. In 2004, his terms were up so he went back to Rice
University for a year as a visiting scholar for the School of Social
Sciences. A year later, he formed his own consulting company called
Brown Group International of which he now serves as chairman and CEO.
"We are a full-service consulting company offering solutions to both
government and industry, specializing in public safety issues," Lee
explains.
Lee
credits Fresno State for giving him the educational foundation needed
to succeed in his career. He believes the university provides an
opportunity for people to reach their full potential and go beyond
their limitations. "Fresno State provided the foundation for me to go
do things that I've never dreamed of before," he says. "All the
education I've obtained allowed me to go as far as being a member of
the President's Cabinet to being the police commissioner of the largest
police department in America to being the first African American mayor
of Houston, Texas."
Mr.
Brown has four children: Patrick Brown, Torri Clark, Robyn Codner and
Jenna Ford. Two of Lee's siblings, Nick and Earl Brown, also attended
Fresno State.
Lee
describes Fresno State as an outstanding university, deserving the
support of all alumni and those living in the community. As a LIFE
member, Lee explains that he is able to give back to Fresno State what
it has given him. "I want to contribute so I can help other people
accomplish the same thing," he says. "I support the university like the
university supported me."
Written by Jennifer Vang, student intern for the FSAA
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