I am honored and excited to welcome my dear friend Reneé Brown to Widener Law Commonwealth to deliver the final Black Law Students Association Fireside Chat where students connect with high level executives in professional sports.
Reneé and I met some years ago at a Black Women in Sport Foundation banquet. She was being honored and I, known then as “Lawyer by Day, Poet by Night”, performed my signature piece, Find Your Own Shine.
Reneé, a huge admirer of spoken word and of tennis (which is great for a former pro tennis player like me, of course), loved the performance and we hit it off immediately. The rest, as they say, is history!
Reneé is extremely accomplished, authentic, generous, tough, funny, warm and kind. My students are extremely fortunate that Reneé is giving of her time to participate in this informal yet engaging presentation and chat.
Two weeks ago, we welcomed DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the National Football League Players Association.
Congratulations to BLSA for a stellar fireside chat lineup this year.
About Reneé M. Brown
Reneé Brown, WNBA Chief of Basketball Operations and Player Relations, oversees all player scouting and acquisition for the league, as well as the administration of player-related policies and programs. In addition, she is responsible for overseeing the policies for all on-court basketball operations.
Prior to being promoted to her current position, Brown served as WNBA Vice President and Senior Director. She joined the WNBA in September 1996 as Director of Player Personnel.
Brown also plays an integral role in USA Basketball, currently serving on both the Steering and Selection Committees. She has chaired the USA Basketball Women’s Senior National Team Selection Committee and served on the Executive Committee for USA Basketball for three consecutive quadrants, from 2000 to 2012. The U.S. Women’s Senior National Team won Olympic gold medals at the conclusion of each of Brown’s tenures, in 2004, 2008 and 2012. She also served as Vice President for the Senior Women’s Programs from 2000 to 2004.
During the 1995-96 season, Brown served as an assistant coach to Tara VanDerveer for the gold medal-winning USA Basketball Women’s National Team in Colorado Springs, where she helped with game preparation, player conditioning and scouting.
Brown served as an assistant coach for women’s basketball teams at the University of Kansas, Stanford University, and San Jose State University. During her tenure at Kansas, she helped guide the Jayhawks to an 88-31 record, four trips to the NCAA Tournament and a Big Eight Conference title. Her Stanford team won the NCAA tournament in 1990 and earned a trip to the Final Four in 1991.
Brown holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in education, both from UNLV.
