Meet Terryl L. Brown, Esq., New Mission-Focused General Counsel at St. John’s

In her well-appointed, third-floor Newman Hall office on St. John’s University’s Queens, NY, campus, Terryl L. Brown, Esq., is surrounded by mementos of a distinguished professional legal career marked by extensive leadership and management experience in the public and private sectors, city and state government, and higher education.

Her office walls are adorned with awards earned, multiple diplomas, framed legislation, pictures, plaques, New York City Fire Department memorabilia, and even a pair of boxing gloves!

However, one image provides the most telling aspect of the newly appointed General Counsel: the framed, pensive, prayerful image of an ancient cogitabund monk looms large over a small table. “He inspires me,” she explains. “I like to look at it as I sit here and think—and pray!”

That commingling of thought and prayer most attracted Ms. Brown to pursue the vacant General Counsel position at St. John’s. She arrived on campus in early July with a love of learning and a demonstrated commitment to her Catholic faith and teaching and mentoring young people.

Despite her challenging, new, full-time role, Ms. Brown offers, “I’m still a Catechist, and this year I am teaching Confirmation candidates.” She also serves as a lector, regularly proclaiming the sacred scripture at Sunday Mass.

Born in East Harlem, NY, her family moved to Tribeca, NY, when she was a teenager. The youngest of six girls arrived on Father’s Day.

Ms. Brown explains the origins of her somewhat unique first name: “My father always liked the name, and after five girls—in an era before routine ultrasound technology—he thought a boy was coming. The name stuck, and here I am!”

As a young child growing up in public housing, she had early aspirations for the law. Ms. Brown graduated from Pace University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a J.D. and M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh. She later earned a master’s degree in church management from Villanova University and completed an advanced finance program at the University of Pennsylvania. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Theology at St. John’s.

Ms. Brown is a member of the Queens Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, one of the “Divine Nine”—the common name for the nine historically Black Greek-letter organizations. These fraternities and sororities emerged in the early 1900s to provide community, mentorship, and belonging for Black college students, who faced racial exclusion. With an infectious smile, she gleefully notes that Delta Sigma Theta is branded red and white like St. John’s.

Access to education is critical to Ms. Brown, and she is acutely aware of its transformative effects. “Some people say I collect degrees,” she says with a laugh.

She becomes more serious and sentimental as she recalls her family’s own educational legacy and how it tracks the historic path and movement of the Great Migration. “My family was educated, but there were obstacles.”

With family roots in the South, her grandfather was a college graduate and a Pullman porter—African American men hired as attendants on George Pullman’s luxury sleeping train cars starting in the late 1800s. Pullman porters performed various duties, such as assisting passengers, gradually forming the first all-Black labor union, and helping create a Black middle class in the post-Civil War United States.

Her late father was a longtime clerk working for the New York City government, earned his college degree, and went on to attain an M.B.A. in finance, which he could not maximize because of his skin color. “But Dad put six girls through Catholic school, and we are better for that,” she says.

Her early impressions of St. John’s are positive. “People are very warm and dedicated to the Catholic and Vincentian mission. That is clear.”

She emphasizes the importance of mission awareness: “You know what your goal is, what you are today and tomorrow.”

Most recently, Ms. Brown served as Vice President and General Counsel at Pace University. Before joining Pace University, she served as Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs and Administration for the New York City Fire Department, overseeing operations and legal matters for a department comprising 17,000 employees. She also spent time in public service in legal roles in the Executive Chamber of the Governor of New York State and the Office of the New York State Attorney General.

“I came into higher education at a challenging time, but I have much experience working for large, complex organizations,” she says.

When asked to explain the role of a General Counsel and its impact on students, she states with conviction, “There are rules, and the rules apply equally. There are processes in place. If a student is injured, harmed, or has complaints, they should—and will—get a fair hearing.”

She continues, “General Counsel offices can be small, but are always impactful on college campuses. Every unit of this organization we touch. We have a part of everything that makes this University run.”

She calls out the stellar work of Joshua S. Hurwit, J.D., who served as Interim General Counsel for the last year and continues to be Deputy General Counsel. “Staying ahead of constant changes is not easy—and Josh did that and more.”

She admits that as a lawyer, it is challenging to advise a client when circumstances change quickly. “There are so many complex and emergent legal issues in higher education: contracts, collective bargaining, real estate, statutory and regulatory compliance issues, student safety and privacy, and Title IX. It is endless, but critical, work that we do.”

As the first woman and only the fourth St. John’s General Counsel at St. John’s in the last 50-plus years, if there is any awareness or inkling of the groundbreaking nature of her appointment, it goes unsaid. “To be at a place with proactive engagement in how we navigate these times is my honor and service,” Ms. Brown explains. “I’m here for the mission, our students, and the larger University community.”