In addition to serving as an adjunct instructor of business communication and business law, Summer N. Brown is the executive director of the Institute for Business and Professional Ethics at DePaul University.
The institute is an educational center focused on furthering the message that ethics are important with an emphasis on business and professional ethics. The IBPE strives to facilitate ethical deliberation and stir the moral conscience of three main constituents: students, business professionals, and the Chicago community. Teaching students ethical practices and inspiring them to become courageous leaders through teaching, guest lectures, and other student-focused activities is fundamental to the institute’s mission at DePaul University.
The institute serves as a resource to Chicago-area business organizations and leaders, by not only publishing materials on ethical decision-making in business, but also providing opportunities to meet and exchange ideas.
Summer’s research interests include social enterprise, benefit corporations, and employment law - among other things. Summer received her Bachelor of Arts in political science with highest honors from DePaul University and her Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law, with a specialized certificate in criminal law and is licensed to practice law in Illinois. She volunteers with various legal agencies in Chicago and tutors low-income students through the Working in the Schools (WITS) program.
She has worked at DePaul since 2001, previously coordinating the CPA Review Program at DePaul for accounting students preparing for the CPA Exam, before joining the institute. Summer has also worked with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois and the Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic.