Scholars@Duke

Tony Brown has been a Professor of the Practice at the Sanford School of Public Policy since 1993. In 2007, Brown took a three-year leave of absence to serve as president of the Robertson Scholars Program at Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill. 

Upon returning to Duke in 2010, Brown was named co-director of the Hart Leadership Program. Professor Brown has taught leadership courses in enterprising organizational change, social entrepreneurship, moral development, socially responsible businesses, and public-private collaboration. He founded and also directs the Hart Leadership Program's Enterprising Leadership Initiative, a program intended to engage, educate, and empower Duke students to pursue innovative solutions to University, community and global problems. Brown was the recipient of the Howard Johnson Distinguished Teaching Award for undergraduate teaching excellence in 1997 and the Ashoka U - Cordes Foundation Innovation Award for his course Social Entrepreneurship in Action in 2012. 

Professor Brown's current teaching and research interests focus on the leadership development of young adults during college and as young alumni. His courses include Social Entrepreneurship in Action, Leadership Development & Organizations, Moral Courage & Leadership, and Enterprising Leadership & Civic Engagement. His students all participate in producing "real-results” leadership projects based on a pedagogy of action-based, integrated learning experiences. 

Brown received a Bachelor in Arts in political science from the University of Connecticut and a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard University. He had a career in the insurance industry and served as the Chairman and CEO of the Covenant Insurance Company for almost ten years. Subsequently, he was the Vice President for External Affairs at the University of Connecticut and the Chief Operating Officer of Credit Suisse First Boston's Equity Division. 

Brown has served on many boards during the past 40 years. Current external volunteer board memberships include The Hitachi Foundation and Student U. On campus, Brown serves as a member of the Duke Engage National Advisory Board, the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Council and the Academic Integrity Council. As his students know, Brown loves to cook.