Elizabeth Brown
University of St. Thomas

Elizabeth F. Brown was born in West Point, New York. She attended the College of William and Mary in Virginia, where she received a B.A. with Honors in international relations in 1985. She received a M.A. in international relations with a concentration in international economics from the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University in 1987. After completing her masters degree, she worked for four years as an international economist for the United States Department of Commerce, first in the Office of Africa and then in the Office of East European and Soviet Affairs. While at Commerce, Brown counseled both Fortune 500 and small businesses on exporting to and investing in the countries that she covered. She also participated in the negotiations for the Bilateral Investment Treaty and the Trade Agreement between the United States and Bulgaria, and she assisted in organizing a White House conference on economic assistance to Eastern Europe.

Following her service at the Department of Commerce, Brown attended law school at the University of Chicago, where she was symposium articles editor of The University of Chicago Law School Roundtable and President of the International Law Society. Following law school, Brown worked on corporate and securities transactions at Baker & Botts L.L.P. in Houston, Texas. Her work involved a wide range of industries, including energy and telecommunications firms, in a variety of countries, including Russia, Azerbaijan, Mexico, Canada and Brazil. In 1995, she began working at Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue in Chicago, Illinois, focusing primarily on merger and acquisition transactions. While working at Baker & Botts and at Jones, Day, Brown also assisted non-profit organizations with their corporate organizational and transactional issues.