PROVIDENCE – A $12 million gift from a family foundation led by business leader and Brown University alumnus Orlando Bravo will fund two endowed professorships aimed at expanding research and teaching in economics and public policy at the university, school officials announced April 29.
The gift, made through the Bravo Family Foundation, will establish two jointly appointed faculty positions in Brown’s Department of Economics and the recently launched Thomas J. Watson Jr. School of International and Public Affairs. University leaders said the professorships will strengthen Brown’s ability to recruit and retain scholars and support research on pressing economic and policy challenges.
Brown President Christina H. Paxson said the gift will benefit students by expanding opportunities to learn from and conduct research alongside leading faculty members.
“These two endowed professorships position Brown to grow our leading-edge economics department for years to come, while also creating momentum for collaborative scholarship at the Watson School,” Paxson said.
Named professorships provide a permanent source of funding to support faculty research and teaching, often in perpetuity, according to the university. Officials described the contribution as among the largest ever designated for economic policy research at Brown.
The new gift builds on previous philanthropic support from Bravo and his foundation, including a $25 million donation in 2019 that helped establish the Orlando Bravo Center for Economic Research. To date, Bravo and the Bravo Family Foundation have contributed more than $45 million to the university, Brown said.
Bravo, a member of Brown’s Class of 1992, earned degrees in economics and political science before going on to co-found Thoma Bravo, a software-focused investment firm where he serves as managing partner.
He said the latest gift is intended to provide faculty with flexibility to explore new research directions.
“My family and the Bravo Family Foundation hope this gift will enable Brown University to continue to recruit the absolute best faculty to support both the Department of Economics and the Watson School,” Bravo said.
John Friedman, the inaugural dean of the Watson School, said the gift will help support the school’s growth following its launch in July 2025. A search is underway for the first of the two professorships, and the initial appointment could begin as soon as the 2026–27 academic year, Friedman said. He expects the hire to focus on areas such as global trade, supply chains and international markets.
“The strength of the Watson School starts with its faculty,” Friedman said. “This generous gift … will enable our new policy school to expand our dynamic faculty of scholars and teachers at the frontiers of their respective fields.”
University officials said the professorships are expected to enhance collaboration between economics and public affairs faculty while reinforcing Brown’s broader academic mission of research, teaching and public engagement.
Veer Mudambi is the special projects editor of the Providence Business News. He can be reached at mudambi@pbn.com.
