Club of Belgium: Discussion with Bryan Greene

An in-person event with your fellow Hoyas in Belgium and speaker Bryan Greene on April 1

Joe Brinker (CAS ’91) invites all Georgetown alumni to his home in Saint-Gilles on the evening of Friday, April 1, for a talk with Bryan Greene.

Bryan will speak about Georgetown’s beloved president, Patrick Healy, who was born enslaved, “passed” for white, became the first black president of a predominantly white university, and along the way became the first American of African ancestry to earn a PhD. And there is a Belgian twist: he earned his degree from Belgium’s KU Leuven. Bryan’s Smithsonian Magazine story about Healy was voted one of its top 25 stories of the year by the magazine’s editors.

The event will start at 18:30. Wine and beer will be served with a voluntary contribution.

RSVPs will receive contact details for the event. Joe is also inviting some other interested groups, giving the club a chance to mingle outside of the Georgetown community.

About Bryan Greene

Bryan Greene is Vice President of Policy Advocacy at the National Association of REALTORS® where he oversees all legislative and regulatory advocacy on behalf of the association’s 1.5 million members. Bryan joined the REALTORS® after more than 25 years of federal government service where, for ten years, he led the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 600-person office charged with enforcing the nation’s housing anti-discrimination laws.

Bryan is a freelance writer, who contributes regularly to Smithsonian Magazine and other publications. His 2017 article on the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival led to renewed interest in the music festival and to Bryan serving as the consulting producer on the 2021 music documentary, “Summer of Soul,” winner of dozens of awards, including BAFTA for best documentary, the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize, and a nomination for an Academy Award. Bryan’s 2020 Smithsonian article on Georgetown President Patrick Francis Healy was voted one of its top 25 stories of the year by the magazine’s editors.

Bryan is also a guitarist and singer in the Washington, DC-based band, Suspicious Package.

A native of New York City, Bryan has lived in Washington, DC since 1992, where he serves on the Board of Trustees of the DC History Center.

Bryan earned his degree in Government from Harvard University.

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