Terri Hamilton Brown is bringing more than 15 years experience in real estate, city planning, government and public safety issues to University Circle as the new president of University Circle Incorporated (UCI).

Brown is the sixth president and first woman to serve UCI and its 43-member institutions since its founding in 1957. She succeeds David T. Abbott, who left in January to become the executive director of The George Gund Foundation.

"It's an extraordinary privilege to take over the leadership of University Circle Incorporated. I am eager to work together with all of the University Circle institutions to continue the Circle's remarkable position as perhaps the most vibrant cultural, medical and educational center in the country," Brown said.

Brown is stepping down as executive director of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority where she is widely credited for the organizations successful turn-around. Prior to this she served as director for the City of Cleveland's Community Development Department and as a development officer for the Cleveland Office of Enterprise Foundation, a national non-profit organization dedicated to making affordable housing available to low-income families.

She is a trustee for The Cleveland Foundation, United Way Services and Greater Cleveland Roundtable. She also serves on the boards of ShoreBank Cleveland and Housing Authority Insurance Group.

A Cleveland native and a University Circle resident, Brown received a bachelor's degree in economics from The University of Chicago and a master's degree in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"Living in University Circle I know, first-hand, how very special the Circle is. And I also understand what an important economic engine the Circle is to Cleveland and the region and how much more so it can become," she said. "I am passionate about Cleveland and the Circle and now to be able to work closely with the outstanding Circle institutions and UCI is, for me personally, a wonderful opportunity."