Brown to Serve as Executive Director of the State of Ohio Leadership Institute

Trevor L. Brown will be the inaugural executive director of the newly created State of Ohio Leadership Institute (SOLI). Brown brings experience as an academic leader, public sector trainer and instructor, and consultant to many public organizations at the federal, state and local levels. He will combine his role as SOLI’s executive director with his position as the dean of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at the Ohio State University where SOLI will be housed.

“It’s an honor to help launch the State of Ohio Leadership Institute,” said Brown. “My career has been devoted to preparing the next generation of public servants and leaders.”

SOLI’s mission and purpose are to provide programming and leadership training to Ohio’s state and local elected officials. With funding from the State of Ohio and contributions from the Ohio State University, the John Glenn College of Public Affairs governs SOLI’s operations. SOLI will offer residential leadership programs, in-person and online training workshops and modules, and symposia and conferences to elected officials throughout the State. SOLI will also help get young people involved in public service through internships with the Statehouse and other state and local offices.

Brown’s appointment as the executive director is the first position filled at SOLI. “I’m excited to build the Institute. Our next step is to bring together a dynamic team,” said Brown. A search is currently underway for an internship coordinator to create and deliver internship programming for college and high school students. Program management, administrative, recruitment, and training positions will soon follow.

Brown has an extensive background in working for and with legislative and executive organizations. For two decades, he helped run the Parliamentary Development Project, a U.S. Agency for International Development-funded program that provided training, consulting and technical assistance to Ukraine’s national legislature and the regional legislature of the Crimean republic. Domestically, Brown has worked with federal, state and local public organizations and elected bodies to improve government performance. During and after receiving a BA in Public Policy from Stanford University, Brown worked in local government in California and Indiana. Brown received his PhD in Political Science and Public Policy from Indiana University in 1999 and in 2001 joined the faculty of Ohio State’s School of Public Policy and Management, the forerunner to the Glenn College. Brown’s research focuses on how to effectively organize and lead public sector organizations, with a particular focus public-private partnerships and government contracting.