Penny Brown Reynolds, Ph.D.

Penny Brown Reynolds, Ph.D., J.D. is a CEO, speaker and author. She is the former Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the Biden-Harris Administration, The United States Department of Agriculture. She concurrently served as USDA’s Chief EEO Principal Officer for its 100,000 plus employees.

 

Brown Reynolds serves as one of the nation’s preeminent civil rights scholars and experts bringing over 30 years of legal and executive leadership experience in civil rights, law, executive management, as well as higher education and organizational change management. As a federal agency head, Brown Reynolds provided executive leadership and oversight for the agency’s strategic implementation, internal general operations, operational decision-making, organizational change management, civil rights policy initiatives, the agency’s annual budget, external stakeholder engagement, employee professional development, 

 

Before her appointment, Brown Reynolds was recognized as the first African American in Georgia’s history to serve as the Governor’s Executive Counsel and the first African American to serve as Georgia’s Lieutenant Governor’s Executive Counsel and Chief of Staff in the Georgia Senate. She has uniquely served in all branches of local, state and federal government, as well as the judiciary. 

 

A leader among leaders, Brown Reynolds distinguished legal career has included serving for nearly a decade as a trial court Judge in Fulton County State Court, Atlanta, Georgia, where she was appointed as one of the youngest judges in the state’s history, and she also served as a Georgia State Assistant Attorney General, Assistant District Attorney, and a judicial clerk for the Georgia Court of Appeals. 

 

She is heralded as a business and thought leader. Education is the cornerstone of her experience. In 2019, Brown Reynolds received a dual appointment with the University System of Georgia to serve as an Executive Senior Advisor to University C-Suites in the development of student success initiatives, strategic plans and related operational initiatives; simultaneously serving as an Adjunct Professor at Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Department of Criminal Justice. Judge Brown Reynolds was named Instructor of the Year. 

 

A national advocate for women and girls, she founded an organization that works to enlightened and inspire women’s voices and empower marginalized communities. She is a renowned speaker, and has lectured across this nation using her insight to deliver unforgettable experiences that inspire and captivate.  She is the author of numerous books and articles. She is the Co-Editor of Women and the Law: A Guide to Women’s Legal Rights in Georgia. Her latest book, Unstoppable Strength: Living Fearlessly through Life’s Seasons is now available. 

 

The Louisiana native received her Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, from Georgia State University, a Juris Doctor degree from Georgia State University College of Law and earned her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice, from Nova Southeastern University, finishing first in her class with a master’s degree from the Interdenominational Theological Center (I.T.C.), and having completed postdoctoral studies at the Harvard Kennedy School. Brown Reynolds is a licensed attorney, registered mediator and arbitrator, and is the founding chair of the Judicial Section of the Gate City Bar Association, an affiliate of the National Bar and is a member of numerous bar associations. A proponent of community engagement, Brown Reynolds is committed to service to others and has been recognized nationally for her major contributions.