President of Ronald H. Brown Foundation Visits

Mr. Michael Brown, President and CEO of the Ronald H. Brown Foundation, is to participate in the Ronald H. Brown Institute Policy Environment and Private Sector Development workshop from 19 February - 21 February, 2003.

The Ronald H. Brown Institute for Sub-Saharan Africa (RBI) is a USAID funded project managed by Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA.

The workshop is being held under the auspices of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Mr. Brown, who is an RBI Board member, is the son of the late U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, for whom the institute is named.

The foundation seeks to carry on former Commerce Secretary Ron Brown's mission of commitment to education, political development, and international commerce.

Georgia State University is leading a consortium of U.S and South African institutions to implement RBI, a business training and skills development initiative. RBI is to contribute to private-sector-led economic growth in Africa by strengthening the skills of people already in business and providing training opportunities to other individuals, especially students, aspiring to enter the business world.

Mr. Brown is also Chairman and Managing Director of Urban Hospitality, LLC, a company, specializing in providing management of operational skills for both franchise and business opportunities.

His legal practice spans International Trade, Foreign Government, Federal and State Municipal Representation, and Public Policy. Mr. Brown was a member of the United States Presidential Delegation to Africa. He first accompanied Department of Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater to Zimbabwe, and was then selected to accompany Department of Labor Secretary Alexis Herman to Ghana on a second Presidential Delegation.

Mr. Brown represents various foreign governments in order to enhance their relations with the United States Congress, the Administration, and relevant federal agencies. In addition, Mr. Brown currently serves as a Board Member of the Constituency for Africa, and is member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Mr. Brown has received degrees from Widener University (Delaware) School of Law, J.D. 1991, and Clark University, B.A. 1987.

He authored The Quest for the Bigger Pie published in the 1999 Summer issue of The Ascent, a University of Denver Center for African-American Policy Publication.