Sandhya Iyer appointed senior VP and general counsel at Brown University

Sandhya L. Iyer, an accomplished Indian American attorney, who currently serves as Dartmouth College’s chief legal officer, has been appointed senior vice president and general counsel at Brown University.

In her role, Iyer with extensive legal and management expertise across multiple sectors, will lead the team of attorneys and staff members in the Office of the General Counsel, according to a media release.

She will serve as Brown’s chief legal officer, advising the University’s senior leaders, members of the Corporation of Brown University, and faculty and staff colleagues on a broad range of legal and strategic matters.

Brown President Christina H. Paxson said that among an excellent pool of candidates during a national search, Iyer stood out for her clear, creative and supportive approach to providing counsel on everything from academic affairs, finance and policy development to litigation, compliance and risk management.

“With experience at the US education and justice departments and more than 15 years as chief legal officer for two world-class higher education institutions, Sandhya brings an accomplished track record and a deep understanding for the legal intricacies of higher education,” Paxson said.

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“Just as importantly, she offers the leadership, integrity and collaborative approach needed to successfully advance Brown priorities and navigate the legal implications of important higher education issues that impact our campus.”

As Dartmouth’s chief legal officer since 2017, Iyer has served as legal advisor to the president, Board of Trustees, senior leadership team, and faculty and staff members acting on behalf of Dartmouth.

She advises on academic and business transactions and oversees litigation and administrative proceedings spanning the college’s undergraduate liberal arts program, graduate and professional schools, research enterprise, and administrative operations.

Since Fall 2023, Iyer has also served as secretary to Dartmouth’s Board of Trustees, supporting its timely, informed and effective decision-making in accordance with Dartmouth’s mission and strategic priorities.

From 2008 to 2017, Iyer served as Oberlin College’s first general counsel and secretary, inaugurating a new model for delivering in-house legal services focused on strengthening Oberlin’s educational programs and administrative operations.

Earlier, she was chief attorney for the U.S. Department of Education Cleveland Office for Civil Rights (from 2005 to 2008), and worked in the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section (from 2000 to 2005), where she ultimately served as special counsel.

At those agencies, she received seven awards for her work managing teams investigating and remedying civil rights violations by a range of entities, including educational institutions.

Prior to her work with the federal government, Iyer served as policy counsel for the National Partnership for Women and Families (formerly the Women’s Legal Defense Fund) from 1998 to 2000.

There, she worked to improve family and medical leave policies at the state and federal level, and co-authored an amicus curiae brief for a US Supreme Court case recognizing a Title IX cause of action for peer sexual harassment.

During the interview process for the role at Brown, the University’s dedication to high-impact scholarship and distinctive focus on constructive irreverence — the willingness to break intellectual boundaries and challenge conventional wisdom in pursuit of new knowledge — were particular factors that drew her interest, Iyer said.

“I’m drawn to Brown’s enduring commitment to academic excellence, diversity and inclusion, and engagement and partnership with the broader community — all informed by the University’s clear commitment to making a positive impact in the world,” Iyer said.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity, along with the wonderful team in the Office of the General Counsel, to serve as a strategic partner in promoting Brown’s mission and in providing client-centered legal support to the entirety of its academic, research and administrative enterprise.”

Iyer holds a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in chemistry and women’s studies from Yale University and a JD from Yale Law School, and she clerked for Judge Sidney Thomas of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She has served on the board of directors of the National Association of College and University Attorneys and the board of the Yale Law Journal.

Iyer will begin her role at Brown in October, reporting directly to Paxson. She succeeds Eileen Goldgeier, who retired effective June 30 after six years as Brown’s vice president and general counsel and a 32-year legal career.