In one of his first actions as Lt. Governor, Brown announced in February 2007 the release of a study that assessed the State's needs to accommodate the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decisions that will bring as many as 60,000 new jobs to Maryland by 2011. Governor O'Malley directed the Lt. Governor to chair the Subcabinet on BRAC for the State of Maryland as one of the Lt. Governor's major duties.

Brown, 47, is an alumnus of Huntington High School in Huntington, New York and was the first black student government president. He later went on to attend Harvard University where he was a classmate of Obama's at Harvard Law School.

Brown later joined the Army ROTC program. After graduating cum laude in 1984, Brown was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and graduated first in his Army flight school class. He served as an active duty helicopter pilot with the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division in Europe. After completing a tour of active duty in Germany, Brown entered Harvard Law School and graduated in 1992, at which time he clerked for then-Chief Judge Eugene Sullivan on the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. Brown continued as a member in the Army Reserves where he completed short tours of duty in Panama and Canada.

In 2005, Brown was deployed as a reservist to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In Baghdad, Fallujah, Kirkuk, and Basra, he worked with local and military officials to deliver humanitarian assistance and rebuild a war-torn country. He served in Iraq with the 353d Civil Affairs Command as Senior Consultant to the Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration from 2004 to 2005 where he earned the Bronze Star Medal.

He is also the recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the National Defense Service Medal with bronze star device, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with bronze hourglass & `M` device, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon with numeral `2` device, the Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon with numeral `2` device, the Aviator Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.

Brown remained in touch with his constituents and colleagues while in Iraq with e-mails. When he returned to Annapolis, he was given a standing ovation by the entire House of Delegates.

He remains a colonel in the Army Reserve and is an Iraq war veteran. Brown serves on the Board of Directors for the East Baltimore Development, Inc. and the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore.  He is the OʼMalley/Brown Administrationʼs liaison to the business community and has encouraged expanding opportunities for small and minority and businesses.
He lives in Prince Georgeʼs County and has two children, Rebecca and Jonathan.

AP Washington DC

 

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