Browne C. Lewis

Browne Cornell Lewis (c. 1962 – June 3, 2022)[1] was a legal scholar who served as dean of North Carolina Central University School of Law from 2020 to 2022.[2]

Born in Natchez, Louisiana,[1] Lewis was "one of 12 children from a family in a small country town".[2] She received a bachelor's degree in political science from Grambling State University, followed by a master's degree in public policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota,[1] and then a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1988, followed by an LL.M. in energy and environmental law from the University of Houston Law Center in 1997.[3] In 2013, she published the book, Papa's Baby: Paternity and Artificial Insemination.[1] She taught at the Cleveland–Marshall College of Law prior to becoming dean at North Carolina Central University School of Law.[3]

Lewis led North Carolina Central University School of Law through it reaccreditation process with the American Bar Association in 2020.[2] In 2021, Intel gave a $5 million grant for the school in support of the development of a technology and policy center, which Lewis expressed was a goal of her tenure.[2][4]

Lewis died in Colorado at the age of 60, while attending the annual conference of the Law School Admission Council, of which she was a member.[2]

  1. ^ a b c d "In Memoriam: Browne C. Lewis, 1962-2022". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. June 28, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Murphy, Kate (June 3, 2022). "NC Central mourns death of law school dean, who died unexpectedly in Colorado". News & Observer.
  3. ^ a b Ward, Stephanie Francis (June 7, 2022). "Law dean known for encouraging creative thinking around diversity in legal ed dies at conference". ABA Journal.
  4. ^ Zachary Eanes, "Intel gives $5M to NCCU Law School to launch new tech and policy center", The Durham Herald-Sun (February 22, 2021), p. A1, A2: "Lewis, who came to NCCU last year, said she has had a goal of creating a tech and policy center".