Vice president for public affairs and communications Paul J. Browne will retire June 30, University President Fr. John Jenkins said in a press release today.
“Paul came to Notre Dame with a love for the University instilled by his immigrant parents,” Jenkins said in the release. “After eight years of significant contributions, he leaves with the respect, gratitude and affection of me and so many more of his Notre Dame colleagues.”
Browne has been leading his division for almost eight years to improve the University’s reputation across the nation and the world. He coordinated the first presentation by a Notre Dame faculty member to the Religion News Associations’ annual conference and helped organize presentations of the Notre Dame Award in Brazil, Mexico and Ukraine, the release said.
Browne served as deputy commissioner for public information for the New York City Police Department prior to taking his position at Notre Dame in July 2013.
The press release said he also worked as press secretary and chief of staff for U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and he took on similar roles at the U.S. Treasury Department, the New York State Court of Appeals and the New York State Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities.
In the 1990s, Browne received the Commanders Award for Public Service for serving as deputy director of the International Police Monitors in Haiti, with the goal of ending human rights abuses in Haiti.
Browne received a bachelor’s degree in American studies from Marist College and a master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. In his early career, he worked as a reporter for the Watertown Daily Times in upstate New York. He also worked as Albany bureau chief for the New York Daily News and the New York Law Journal and was a stringer for the New York Times.
Jenkins reflected on Browne’s role over the course of his time at Notre Dame.
“In his nearly eight years at Notre Dame, Paul has been a calm, thoughtful presence at the center of storms that sometimes envelop a university,” Jenkins said. “He has been an invaluable partner to me in crafting and communicating messages for the University.”
