President Christina H. Paxson shared in an August 2026 letter to the Brown community that she is stepping down from her position at the end of the 2026-27 academic year, marking 15 years of service to the institution. The Corporation of Brown University, as Brown’s governing body, has launched an expansive search for the next president.

The search is being led by a Presidential Selection Committee of the Corporation, co-chaired by the Chancellor Brian T. Moynihan and Vice Chancellor Pamela Ress Reeves, and aided and advised by a Campus Advisory Committee to the Presidential Search. The structure of dual committees, working in close partnership, is consistent with Brown’s custom and tradition in selecting a president over the past several decades.

Additionally, the Corporation has engaged the national executive search firm Spencer Stuart to assist in the search process. Serving as staff and advisor to the search, the firm will administer a community survey, pursue research into nominees, conduct outreach to potential candidates, and support the work of the Presidential Selection and Campus Advisory committees.

The search for Brown’s 20th president began in fall 2026 with the formation of search committees and opportunities for members of the Brown community to share their perspectives through an online survey and a series of open forums. The search will continue through the winter and spring, with the committees conducting their work and engaging with prospective candidates. The goal is to announce Brown’s next president later this academic year. This timeline may shift to accommodate the needs of the University and the search process.

While the Brown Corporation will provide updates to the community on this site at key points throughout the presidential search process, Corporation and Campus Advisory Committee members are committed to preserving the confidentiality of candidates interested in the position. Individuals serving on both committees are prohibited from communicating about candidates or the status of the search in any way while the process is underway and prior to the announcement of a selected candidate.

Presidential Selection Committee of the Corporation

The Presidential Selection Committee is charged with conducting a thorough and appropriate search for candidates to serve as Brown’s 20th president, soliciting and considering recommendations from members of the Brown community and making an appropriate recommendation to the Corporation.

Membership

• Brian T. Moynihan ’81 (Chancellor), Committee Co-Chair
• Pamela Ress Reeves ’87 (Vice Chancellor), Committee Co-Chair
• Earl E. Hunt III ’03 (Treasurer)
• Jeffrey F. Hines ’83, ’86 M.D. (Secretary)
• John Atwater ’83, Fellow
• Sangheeta N. Bhatia ’90, Fellow
• Brickson E. Diamond ’93, Trustee
• James P. Esposito ’90, Trustee
• Robert P. Goodman ’82 (Senior Fellow)
• Theresia Gouw ’90, Fellow
• Harry W. Holt Jr. ’84, Trustee
• Carlos Lejnieks ’00, Trustee
• Alison S. Ressler ’80, Fellow
• Sara Leppo Savage ’90, Fellow
• Joan Wernig Sorensen ’72, Fellow
• Gladys Xiques ’94, Trustee
• Nancy G. Zimmerman ’85, Fellow

Campus Advisory Committee to the Presidential Search

The Campus Advisory Committee to the Presidential Search will advise and support the Presidential Selection Committee throughout the presidential search. The committee is chaired by two faculty members and its membership includes faculty, staff and undergraduate, graduate and medical students.

Membership

• Kevin Quashie, Professor of English, Advisory Committee Chair
• Audrey Tyrka, Mary E. Zucker Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Chair of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Advisory Committee Vice Chair
• Ziya Gokaslan, Julius Stoll, MD Professor of Neurosurgery; Chair, Department of Neurosurgery
• Brendan Hassett, Jonathan Nelson University Professor of Mathematics; Director, Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics
• Joseph Hogan, Carole and Lawrence Sirovich Professor of Public Health, Professor and Chair of Biostatistics
• Tara Nummedal, John Nickoll Provost's Professor of History; Chair, Department of History
• Katie Silberman ’94, Director of Strategic Operations, Institute at Brown for Environment & Society
• Serena Luckhoff PhD ’29, German Studies
• Victoria Gill MD’27, Warren Alpert Medical School
• Malcolm Furman ’27, undergraduate
• Jude Sleadd ’29, undergraduate