Celebrating Global Diversity 

UAlbany alumna Erika Irish Brown.

ALBANY, N.Y. (Dec. 5, 2017) – UAlbany alumna Erika Irish Brown, who made it onto Worth magazine’s list of the top 100 most powerful men and women in finance, will address what it takes to be a successful global citizen on Thursday, Dec. 7, at the International Celebration at 2:30 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom.

Brown earned a B.S. in Economics from UAlbany in 1991, an MBA from Columbia Business School and has been Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion for Bloomberg L.P. since 2015. In this role, she develops and drives the company’s global strategy and approach to diversity and inclusion in collaboration with senior management.

Brown is responsible for implementing and monitoring a global program to advance diversity and inclusion across the company. She is also active in promoting an institutional culture and inclusive environment to support diversity in all aspects of the business, including Bloomberg’s employee resource groups and external partnerships.

Dean and Vice Provost for International Education and Global Strategy Harvey Charles said, “We are delighted that such a distinguished alumna whose career has taken her to various corners of the world and who has learned from personal experience the value of an expansive global education, has agreed to be the keynote speaker at our winter International Celebration. Her professional accomplishments and her deep regard for students make her a wonderful role model whose comments will serve to inspire our students and scholars as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.”

Brown is vice-chair and director of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, a member of the board of advisors for Catalyst and a member of The Executive Leadership Council. 

“Brown started her career at Lehman Brothers — a rare black woman in the financial industry in the early 1990s — and within four years was a senior policy analyst at the Treasury Department under President Clinton,” noted Worth.

She was part of President Barack Obama’s treasury transition team in 2008 and 2009. Prior to joining Bloomberg, she was Bank of America’s head of diversity recruiting, program management and executive recruiting. Brown has more than 15 years of investment banking and capital markets experience at Morgan Stanley, the U.S. Treasury and Lehman Brothers.

“Thanks to her hard-core financial background, Brown’s recommendations carry a lot of clout,” noted the Worth article.

The celebration is an official recognition event for graduating international students, students who studied abroad, exchange students and visiting scholars.

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