University of Notre Dame President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., announced that Brandon E. Roach has been appointed vice president and Robert K. Johnson General Counsel effective June 1. Roach’s appointment follows an extensive national search.

A Notre Dame alumnus, Roach succeeds Marianne Corr, who has served in the role since 2008. In fall 2024, Corr announced her plans to retire at the end of the academic year.

Roach currently serves as executive associate general counsel for the University, a position he has held since 2023. He joined the Office of General Counsel as an assistant general counsel in 2010, and prior to that, served as senior adviser to the University’s provost.

In his current role, he serves as the principal attorney for the Office of the Provost, the Athletics Department and the Department of Development, handling a wide range of issues including those related to academic policy and governance, strategic initiatives, major commercial and charitable transactions, employment matters, athletic affairs and litigation management.

He also advises University leaders on statutory, regulatory and legislative issues.

“I am deeply grateful to the search committee comprised of Trustees and University leaders that helped me identify Brandon as the best possible choice for this critical role from among a terrific pool of candidates. His breadth of legal experience, understanding of the higher education landscape and deep knowledge of Notre Dame make him ideally suited to serve as our next vice president and general counsel,” Father Dowd said. “A gifted and visionary leader who is deeply committed to Notre Dame’s mission, he will be an invaluable adviser to me, to our Board of Trustees and to the senior leadership of the University. I look forward to working closely with Brandon in this new role.”

Roach, for his part, expressed gratitude for the opportunity.

“Higher education faces a period of profound challenge and change, but with that also comes tremendous opportunity,” Roach said. “Notre Dame will thrive in this transformational era by being true to its distinctive mission while simultaneously bringing its strengths and uniqueness to bear on the pressing questions of our times.”

“With humility and deep gratitude to Father Dowd and the University for the privilege and responsibility of serving as general counsel, I look forward to joining with him and the entire Notre Dame family in the important work of being a force for good in our world."

He continued, “With humility and deep gratitude to Father Dowd and the University for the privilege and responsibility of serving as general counsel, I look forward to joining with him and the entire Notre Dame family in the important work of being a force for good in our world. I am also indebted to Marianne Corr for her example and legacy, and the strength of the foundation she has established for the Office of General Counsel’s future.”

Roach studied government and sociology at Notre Dame, graduating summa cum laude in 1999. He earned his law degree from Yale Law School, where he was an editor of the Yale Law Journal and a member of its admissions committee. He clerked for Judge Julia Smith Gibbons of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, from 2003 to 2004, and later worked as an associate in the appellate group of a major Houston law firm.

He has served in critical roles with multiple leadership teams since returning to Notre Dame.

As senior adviser to the provost, he coordinated strategic academic initiatives in collaboration with associate provosts, deans, department chairs and other stakeholders and advised the provost on the development of academic and University policy. He also staffed the Academic Affairs committee of the Board of Trustees.

As associate and later executive associate general counsel, he designed and implemented the University’s compliance framework and offered support to Development and Athletics during significant periods of transition and growth. He also served as co-chair of the External Engagement Strategic Advisory Committee as part of the University’s strategic framework planning initiative.

Roach was born and raised in Louisiana. His wife, Clare, earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Notre Dame, the latter as a graduate teaching fellow with the University’s Alliance for Catholic Education. She currently serves as associate director of the Notre Dame Robinson Community Learning Center. They have four children together: Jeremiah, a third-year college student; Jude, a first-year college student; Marie, a high school junior; and Daniel, a 7th grader.

The Office of General Counsel provides comprehensive legal services and strategic counsel in support of the University’s mission and operations. For more information, visit generalcounsel.nd.edu.

Contact: Erin Blasko, associate director of media relations, 574-631-4127, eblasko@nd.edu

Originally published by Erin Blasko at news.nd.edu on March 20, 2025.