President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 will step down from her role as University president at the end of the 2026–27 academic year, she announced in a message shared with the Brown community Monday.
The Brown Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — will begin a nationwide search for Brown’s next president, Chancellor Brian Moynihan ’81 P’14 P’19 wrote in a second campuswide communication.
In May 2025, Paxson agreed to extend her term as president from June 2026 until June 2028, which she described in her Monday email as a decision made to “help Brown navigate a federal funding freeze that imperiled our mission of research and education.” The University came to an agreement with the federal government in July 2025 to end the freeze.
“The experience has been all that I could have hoped for, and more,” wrote Paxson, who began her time as president in 2012. “This is the right decision for me and my family. And I firmly believe that it is the best path for Brown.”
Paxson wrote that she and her husband, Professor of the Practice in International and Public Affairs Ari Gabinet, “plan to contribute to Brown’s continued success and support our local community in the years to come.”
The announcement follows a year marked with difficulty after the University faced a tragic shooting in December and continued Trump administration threats to federal funding.
While Paxson’s time as Brown’s president saw a global pandemic and vast changes in higher education, it was also marked by growth. Under her leadership, the University saw the establishment of two new schools, raised funds for 165 new endowed professorships and enhanced financial aid.
During her tenure, Paxson worked to implement the “Building on Distinction Strategic Plan,” a 10-year plan launched in 2014 to improve the University through methods such as expanding graduate programs, renovating Brown’s physical campus and strengthening financial aid. In 2016, Paxson also launched the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, which aimed at developing and sustaining diverse communities on campus. That plan ended in 2025.
Now, Paxson wrote that she feels it is time for a new phase of strategic planning — one led by someone new.
“It is the right time for a new Brown president who will have the distinct privilege and pleasure of leading a university that is exceptionally well positioned for impact in the years ahead,” Paxson wrote.
“It is her strong belief — and the Corporation and I agreed — that it is the right time to find a new president who will lead this multi-year effort for Brown and be in place to implement their vision for the next generation,” Moynihan wrote.
When she resigns in June 2027, Paxson will have spent 15 years at the University’s helm, longer than any current Ivy League president.
“I look forward to Brown’s future,” she wrote. “Universities thrive on the excitement of new ideas and the healthy challenge of reinvention that only a new president can bring.”
The national search for the University’s next president will engage members of the campus community, according to Moynihan. In her final year, Paxson will also work with University leaders to prepare for the presidential transition.
“Brown will be fortunate to find another leader with the dedication and commitment of President Paxson, who always put the needs of this community and Brown’s mission of service first,” Moynihan wrote.
Although her time as Brown’s 19th president will come to an end in June, Paxson remains committed to her job for the academic year ahead. “This is not a time to put ambitious plans on pause,” she wrote. “While the search for the next president gets underway, we still have much to accomplish together in the year ahead.”
Cate Latimer is the editor-in-chief and president of The Herald's 136th editorial board. She is from Portland, OR, and studies English on the nonfiction track. She previously served as a University News editor covering faculty and University Hall and higher education. In her free time, you can find her playing ultimate frisbee or rewatching episodes of Parks and Rec.
