After 27 years of leadership, Dr. Joyce F. Brown, the first Black woman to serve as president of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), is stepping down, but her legacy will go down in history.
New York native and highly recognized educator and academic administrator, Dr. Brown, has had a remarkable career with over 40 years of experience in public higher education. When she was first appointed as president of FIT in 1998, the school was primarily seen as a stepping stone for students entering the fashion industry. Over nearly three decades of leadership, she transformed the college into a nationally recognized hub for innovation through a multi-year, multi-million-dollar strategic plan that introduced cutting-edge technology, enhanced student services, renovated facilities, and much more.
Of course, a transformation to this degree doesn’t happen overnight. Dr. Brown’s leadership was shaped by her dedication and one of her strongest qualities: her drive to help others. She sat down with BAUCE to reflect on what it truly takes to lead an institution.
How Early Career Shaped Her Legacy
Before ever imagining herself as president, Dr. Brown wanted to be a psychologist. She earned her master’s and PhD in Counseling Psychology at New York University and worked as a financial aid counselor at the City University of New York to pay her way through graduate school. In this role, she envisioned what could be possible in higher education.
“I came to have a better understanding of what was required to run a college. And I really felt as if I could do a better job than what I was seeing,” Dr. Brown told BAUCE.
She soon rose through the ranks, taking on roles such as Vice Chancellor of Affairs, Deputy Mayor for Public and Community Affairs, and Acting President. Those early days gave her a firsthand view of the sacrifices students make to pursue higher education. This made her realize what was needed to run an institution — honest sensibility and awareness of what students truly need to succeed.
“[I was] deeply inspired by the need to be an empathic leader that would understand what those challenges are and how to allocate resources in a way that was going to really support all of the aspirations and ambitions of myriad young people coming through those doors.”
What It Takes to Lead
Dr. Brown’s time at CUNY ultimately prepared her for the role that would define her career: president of FIT. Appointed in 1998, she became the institution’s sixth president — and its first Black woman president, a historic milestone.
She took on the title with pride but also acknowledged the weight of representation in an industry lacking diversity, especially at the leadership level.
“Black women, in general, have to work harder and longer,” she reflected. By the time she stepped into her presidency, she had the experience, vision, and determination to thrive.
“It really seemed like a challenge that would be fun to undertake,” Dr. Brown told BAUCE.
She arrived on campus in awe of the limitless potential from FIT’s reservoir of talent — from the students to the professors. Talent and creativity were abundant on campus, but it was her mission to curate the ideal environment for those creatives to flourish. Her counseling background equipped her with emotional intelligence and listening skills to lead inclusively.
“To listen, to be collaborative, to bring various voices into the process… I think that goes a long way to creating a community of engaged and committed individuals,” she shared. “You have to build the trust of the people, to take risks with you and take chances, and to think in a new and different way about how they can apply their talents.”
Creating Seats at the Table
Although her path is deeply inspiring, Dr. Brown is an anomaly in the creative industry, where opportunities for BIPOC have historically been limited. The problem isn’t just with legacy brands and reputable establishments like FIT — it’s a deeply systemic issue that impacts everything from leadership to product development.
“They did not make the effort to appeal to a wide array of constituent groups,” Dr. Brown explains. “When you look at the economic impact of the buying habits in the communities of color, it was really ignoring a tremendous aspect of their consumer base.”
“People talked about how there were no leaders in the room helping to make decisions, how there wasn’t an opportunity for creative young people of color to get hired and move themselves up through the ranks.”
In 2020, following the political and racial justice uprisings sparked by the killing of George Floyd, Dr. Brown saw an opportunity to create change within the area she knew best. She founded the Social Justice Center (SJC) at FIT, designed to level the playing field for underrepresented groups in fashion and creative industries.
“The idea was to bring in young people of color who were talented, who might not otherwise have an opportunity to come to an FIT, give them scholarships, pay their way, create a mentoring program, both within the college and in the industry, so that they could see there were jobs, there were possibilities.”
Changing the Conversation
To say Dr. Brown has accomplished a lot during her tenure is an understatement. Over nearly 30 years of leadership, her multi-year, multi-million-dollar strategic and investment plans transformed the college into the prestigious institution it is today.
Introducing new technology and research to the campus was a big focus point for Dr. Brown. “I always say, if you’re not moving forward, if you’re standing still,” she said. “You have to be adept and curious and a risk taker to make sure you are competitive in a world that is constantly and quickly changing.”
She has also been a big proponent for introducing sustainable practices into the curriculum, acknowledging the fashion industry’s reputation for contributing to excess waste. “We have not been good caretakers of this planet, and the next generations are the ones that will have to pay the price.”
FIT now integrates eco-conscious practices directly into its curriculum. One implementation is laboratory work they call BioDesign, in which students can create biodegradable textiles and fabrics from natural materials. The school also houses dye gardens, where the students extract the natural pigments from plants in place of chemical dyes.
One of her most celebrated achievements is overseeing the campus’s first new academic building in 40 years, a project that has taken nearly 2 decades of planning and fundraising to bring to life. According to FIT’s website, the North Academic Building will create a “state-of-the-art learning environment” for students and is set to open fall of 2025.
Above all, she is most proud of facilitating a cultural shift and changing the conversation around FIT. “It’s a dynamic and exciting place to be, which is really a result of our strategic planning and the support that I’ve been willing to provide for faculty to be able to do that kind of work,” she said. I’m really proud of that. It’s very hard to change the culture of a place, and I think that is what we did.”
Her Advice to the Next Generation of Leaders
Dr. Brown’s career stands as a testament to what’s possible for Black women in leadership. Along the way, she has gathered lessons worth passing down
First, she reminds us that black women, especially, often have to work harder and longer than most. But she told us that to sustain that level of work ethic and ambition, you must only chase what truly aligns with you.
“You have to find the thing that you truly feel passionate about, that you believe in, that you want to achieve. You cannot fake it.”
She also shared that unrelenting confidence and discernment are crucial. “You have to be committed. It has to be that important to you so that you are going to continue to push forward, to make something happen, to get the result that you want, in spite of the people who will be tugging at your ankles to keep you back.”
Lastly, she encourages future leaders to learn continuously, whether from colleagues or subordinates. “I think one of the great pitfalls is to believe your way is always the best way, or your way is the only way you have to be committed to the core of what it is you want to achieve. But you have to be willing to be somewhat flexible.”
All of the lessons learned can be wrapped into these guiding principles: “be committed, be firm, be fair, and stick to your guns.”
What’s Next for Dr. Brown?
Dr. Brown’s presidency might be coming to an end, but her mission continues. While she can’t reveal her next move just yet, she knows that she will continue sharing her expertise and strengths to uplift others.
“I’m talking to a lot of people trying to figure out what ways I can continue to make a contribution,” Dr. Brown says in the final moments of talking to BAUCE. “At the end of the day, the most important thing to me has always been making a difference in other people’s lives.”
