Alverno College's new president is making history as the first Black woman to hold the position

SMOKABLE MARIJUANA WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN. WISN 12 CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH, AND HISTORY IS BEING MADE AT ALVERNO COLLEGE, AND THIS MORNING’S PROJECT COMMUNITY. I SAT DOWN WITH CHRISTY BROWN, THE COLLEGE’S NEW TRAILBLAZING PRESIDENT. YOU ARE THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO SERVE AS PRESIDENT IN ALBERTA’S HISTORY. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU? WHAT DOES THAT MOMENT MEAN TO YOU? IT CERTAINLY IS A VERY IMPORTANT MOMENT, BUT I THINK IT’S A REFLECTION OF NOT ONLY THE THE INCREDIBLE PEOPLE WE HAVE ON OUR BOARD WHO ARE FOR FORWARD LOOKING AND WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WANT TO PICK SOMEONE WHO’S QUALIFIED. WE WANT TO PICK SOMEONE IF WE CAN, WHO ALSO LOOKS LIKE THE PEOPLE THAT THEY’RE SERVING. I THINK THERE’S AN OBLIGATION FOR ME TO DO A GREAT JOB, BUT ALSO I FEEL LIKE IT’S AN OPPORTUNITY. DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS A CHANGE MAKER? I HAVE HAD THAT, UH, THAT LABEL PLACED ON ME IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE OTHER JOBS THAT I’VE HAD. I THINK YOU PROBABLY KNOW, I WAS THE HEAD OF THE GIRL SCOUTS. I ALSO WAS THE FIRST PERSON OF COLOR TO LEAD THE GIRL SCOUTS ORGANIZATION IN SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN. UM, AND THERE WE HAD A GREAT IMPACT ON ENHANCING THE OPPORTUNITIES WE HAD FOR GIRLS OF COLOR. WHAT DREW YOU TO ALVERNO COLLEGE AND TO THIS POSITION AS PRESIDENT? I LOVE THE DIVERSITY THAT EXISTS HERE. I GREW UP IN IN THE FIVE, THREE, 206 ZIP CODE, WHICH IS KIND OF INFAMOUS NOW. IT WAS A GREAT, UM, UPBRINGING. IT WAS SOMEWHAT DIVERSE, BUT WHEN I WENT DOWN THE STREET TO RUFUS KING, IT WAS SO DIVERSE THERE, AND I THOUGHT, UH, THIS IS THE KIND OF ENVIRONMENT THAT I THINK IS THE BEST KIND OF ENVIRONMENT FOR OUR SOCIETY. SINCE THEN AND THROUGHOUT MY LIFE, I’VE, I’VE BELIEVED THAT A DIVERSE ENVIRONMENT, LIKE THE ONE THAT WE HAVE AT ALVERNO IS ONE THAT I WANT TO BE IN AND GROW AND HELP NURTURE SO THAT WAS ONE THING. AND ALSO THE FACT THAT IT PRIMARILY DID SERVE UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL WOMEN IN ALVERNO WAS FOUNDED AS AN ALL WOMEN’S COLLEGE, BUT TODAY SERVES A COED POPULATION FOR SOME OF THE SCHOOL’S UNDERGRAD AND GRADUATE PROGRAMS. BROWN WILL O

History is being made at Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Anchor Gerron Jordan from sister station WISN sat down with Christy Brown — the college's new, trailblazing president — to find out what drew her to the position and the impact she hopes to make"It certainly is a very important moment," Brown said. "I think it's a reflection of not only the incredible people we have on our board who are forward-looking and want to make sure we want someone who's qualified, and we want to pick someone if we can who also looks like the people that they are serving," she said. "I think there's an obligation for me to do a great job, but also I feel like it's an opportunity."Alverno was founded as an all-women's college but now features some co-ed undergraduate and graduate programs. "I love the diversity here," Brown said. "I grew up in the 53206 zip code... it was a great upbringing, it was somewhat diverse," she said. "But when I went down the street to Rufus King... it was so diverse there and I thought 'this is the kind of environment that I think is best for our society.""Since then and throughout my life I have believed that the diverse environment like what we have at Alverno is the one I want to be in and grow and help nurture... and the other thing is that we primarily serve undergraduate women," she said. Brown will be officially sworn in as Alverno's President in May. Learn more in the video player above

MILWAUKEE —

History is being made at Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Anchor Gerron Jordan from sister station WISN sat down with Christy Brown — the college's new, trailblazing president — to find out what drew her to the position and the impact she hopes to make

"It certainly is a very important moment," Brown said. "I think it's a reflection of not only the incredible people we have on our board who are forward-looking and want to make sure we want someone who's qualified, and we want to pick someone if we can who also looks like the people that they are serving," she said. "I think there's an obligation for me to do a great job, but also I feel like it's an opportunity."

Alverno was founded as an all-women's college but now features some co-ed undergraduate and graduate programs.

"I love the diversity here," Brown said. "I grew up in the 53206 zip code... it was a great upbringing, it was somewhat diverse," she said. "But when I went down the street to Rufus King... it was so diverse there and I thought 'this is the kind of environment that I think is best for our society."

"Since then and throughout my life I have believed that the diverse environment like what we have at Alverno is the one I want to be in and grow and help nurture... and the other thing is that we primarily serve undergraduate women," she said.

Brown will be officially sworn in as Alverno's President in May.

Learn more in the video player above

Alverno College's new president is making history as the first Black woman to hold the position

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