The National Association of Corporate Directors has named Stephen L. Brown as one of the 100 most influential people in corporate governance and the boardroom. He is a globally recognized governance expert, thought leader and trusted advisor to corporate boards and C-suites. Currently, he is a Senior Advisor & Managing Director at KPMG Board Leadership Center where he advises business leaders on key leadership and corporate governance challenges.

Formerly, Mr. Brown led TIAA’s (Nuveen’s) Corporate Governance Group which managed the corporate governance and social responsibility initiatives related to the firm’s over $1 trillion investment portfolio. Prior to TIAA, Mr. Brown practiced securities law at WilmerHale and Skadden. At both firms, Mr. Brown represented industrial companies, investment advisers, hedge funds, private equity funds, and mutual fund complexes. Additionally, he represented Fortune 500 corporations, boards of directors and senior executives in a variety of securities enforcement matters and corporate internal investigations. Mr. Brown was also the CEO & President of the Society of Corporate Governance and, prior to practicing law, was an associate with Goldman Sachs.

For over fifteen years, Mr. Brown has taught corporate governance at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, McDonough School of Business at Georgetown, Yale, and in the Skadden, Arps Honors Program in Legal Studies, Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at City College of New York.

Mr. Brown is a current member of the boards of the National Football League Alumni Association, the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at University of Delaware, Black Corporate Board Readiness at Santa Clara University, Rutgers Law School Center for Corporate Law & Corporate Governance, the Reuben Mark Initiative for Organizational Character and Leadership at Columbia University, and CEOs for Corporate Purpose & CEO Investor Network. He is also an NACD Board Leadership Fellow.

Mr. Brown received his B.A. with honors from Yale University and his J.D. from Columbia University Law School where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and an Olin Law & Economics Junior Fellow.