The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) promoted from within when selecting its new general counsel and vice president of government relations.
Sean D. Burns, Esq. ascended to the new role after serving as assistant vice president of government relations and legal affairs at TMCF since 2018. Burns started at TMCF as director of government relations in 2016.
“Sean has a notable track record of delivering results for our organization, member institutions and students for nearly a decade,” Dr. Harry L. Williams, president & CEO of TMCF, said. “He’s a key connection to our partners at the federal level, building strong relationships and advocating for meaningful policy.”
In his prior role at TMCF, Burns was responsible for developing and implementing federal advocacy strategies; tracking and evaluating federal legislation, regulations and policies affecting historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs); cultivating and managing bipartisan federal relationships and much more.
Burns has previous work experience with the United States House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; the State of Maryland Office of the Governor; the Law Offices of Peter G. Angelos, P.C.; the Circuit Court for Baltimore City; the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary; the Greater Washington Urban League, Inc.; and former United States Senator Barbara Boxer.
“I’m committed to the mission of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and am thrilled to expand my role in the critical work we do every day on behalf of our students, institutions and HBCUs in general,” Burns said. “I look forward to continuing to prepare our students to lead in a global workforce.”
He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and justice studies at Frostburg State University and earned his juris doctor at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law.
