Brown Alumni Association Officers Biographies
President
Spencer R. Crew
Cincinnati, Ohio
A.B. '71, History
M.A. '73, Ph.D. '79, History, Rutgers University
Spencer Crew is executive director and chief executive officer of the National Underground Railroad Center. For the past three years he has guided the creation of this cultural institution, which opened in August of 2004. Before coming to Cincinnati he worked at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution for twenty years. For eight of those years he was the director of that museum.
Spencer is a trustee emeritus and served on two presidential search committees. He is currently a member of the Advisory Council on Diversity. He has twice served as a Commencement Forum speaker and has been a BASC interviewer. In 2003 he participated in the “Race, Globalization, and the New Ethnic Studies” conference at Brown which was sponsored by the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. More recently, he lectured as part of the speaker series sponsored by the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice.
Interested in serving because:
Brown has had a major impact on my life. The education I received there propelled me in career and life directions I never could have anticipated. It was there that I met my wife and where my two children received their education. The time I have spent back on campus over the past few years has only increased my enthusiasm for the University. I want to share my fervor with others and help strengthen the ties other alumni have to Brown.
President-Elect
Joseph M. Fernandez
Providence, Rhode Island
A.B. ’85, American Civilization
J.D. ’91, Harvard Law School
Joe Fernandez is the city solicitor of the City of Providence, overseeing all civil and criminal litigation, labor and employment matters, and corporate and regulatory affairs affecting the city. He joined city government from private practice as a commercial litigator in Providence and New York City. In the Providence community, Joe is a trustee of Trinity Repertory Company.
Joe has served as a Brown Alumni Schools Committees (BASC) interviewer since 1993. From 1995 to 2003, he was a member of the Brown Corporation Committee on Minority Affairs. He joined the BAA Board of Governors in 2002 and chaired its Multicultural Alumni Committee. In 2002, he also chaired the executive committee of the Asian/Asian American Alumni Alliance. Joe has been a director of the Brown Club of Rhode Island since 2001 and previously co-chaired the club’s Multicultural Activities Committee. He has been a regular panel moderator and participant at Brown’s Career Week. In 2006, Joe received the BAA’s Alumni Service Award, honoring distinguished, continuing volunteer service to Brown.
Interested in serving because:
Giving back to Brown is important to me. Since graduation, my service to Brown has increased steadily. With each new and different role, I have enjoyed bringing students, alumni, faculty, and staff closer to the University and to one another. The BAA plays a critical role in directing the time and talent of Brown alumni toward realizing the University’s ambitious goals. My varied roles at Brown have prepared me well to lead the BAA at this exciting time in Brown’s history.
Treasurer
Jonathan M. Rozoff
New York, New York
A.B. ’85, Public Policy (Honors)
M.B.A. ’90, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Jon Rozoff is a vice president of Cornerstone Research, a finance and economics consulting firm that he helped build from its earliest days to its present staff of 400. The firm has hired a number of Brown students and alumni.
Jon serves on the BAA Board of Governors, its 2012 Strategic Planning Committee, the Campaign Steering Committee, and Brown’s Annual Fund Leadership Council. He co-chairs fundraising for his class, achieving record participation and donations. Jon mentors and speaks at events for leaders of younger classes planning reunions. He is working with Brown staff to institute a five-year model for continuous class engagement, and he works with leaders of his class to plan innovative annual communications and activities. Jon received the 2006 Ittleson Award for outstanding Brown volunteer leadership.
Jon has served as a BASC interviewer, provided career guidance to students, spoken on panels on campus, and participated in Brown Club activities. As a student, Jon provided leadership in academic advising, student activities, WBRU, and other activities.
Interested in serving because:
Brown was a great experience for me and has remained an important part of my life. Now is an exciting time for the University. I and others feel energized by President Simmons’s leadership. We have a great opportunity to build the BAA to foster alumni engagement and ensure that Brown meets alumni needs. I am enthusiastic about serving as treasurer to bring innovative funding approaches to support alumni activities, efforts on which I have already started working with the BAA, Brown staff, and the 2012 committee.
Secretary
Anita Schell-Lambert
Pownal, Vermont
A.B. ’79, English and Religious Studies (Honors)
M.Div. ’83, General Theological Seminary
Anita is currently rector of St. Peter’s Church in Bennington, Vt. She previously served as associate rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill section and as assistant chaplain at the Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pennsylvania. The first woman ordained at Trinity Church on Wall Street in New York City, she served as Trinity’s assistant for education for five years before becoming assistant rector at St. Paul’s.
At Brown, Anita has been active with the Brown Alumni Schools Committees (BASC) both as an interviewer/area committee member and as a regional director. In 1999, she was honored for her BASC work with the Alumni Spotlight Award, given by the BAA to recognize exemplary achievements in support of Brown. She has also served on a number of reunion gift committees for her class and is the proud parent of Theodore W. Schell-Lambert ’04.
Interested in serving because:
My undergraduate years at Brown were among the most transformative in my life, deeply affecting my decision to serve others in my calling as a priest. The opportunities I was afforded at Brown were immeasurable. Toward the end of her career, a student asked Helen Keller: “Miss Keller, is there anything that could have been worse than losing your sight?” Helen Keller replied: “Yes, I could have lost my vision.” I want to give back to Brown by being a part of its vision as most recently articulated in the Plan for Academic Enrichment.