CSCU Leadership

Natalie Braswell

Contact

860-723-0010
cscu-chancellor@ct.edu
Large Photo

Natalie Braswell was appointed Interim Chancellor of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system by the Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education in May 2026. In this role, Braswell leads Connecticut's largest public higher education system serving over 100,000 students through Central Connecticut State University, Eastern Connecticut State University, Southern Connecticut State University, and Western Connecticut State University, Connecticut State Community College and Charter Oak State College.

Braswell is a lawyer, public servant, policy advisor, former State Comptroller, and proud product of public higher education.  She is a three-time graduate of the University of Connecticut and is a first-generation college graduate, a first-generation master's degree recipient, and a first-generation law school graduate. She understands the transformative power of education not as an abstract policy concept, but as a lived experience.

Her leadership is grounded in a belief that public higher education remains one of the most powerful pathways to opportunity, economic mobility, and civic engagement, and she is committed to ensuring that Connecticut's colleges and universities continue to open doors for future generations of students.

Braswell brings extensive executive, legal, and public-sector leadership experience to the role.  Over the past two decades, she has built a reputation as someone who is willing to tackle challenges, lead through uncertainty, and bring people together to get things done. 

Before joining CSCU, Braswell served as General Counsel to Governor Ned Lamont, advising the Governor on some of Connecticut's most consequential legal, legislative, policy, and operational matters. Prior to that, she served as Connecticut's State Comptroller, becoming the first Black woman to hold the office. Before being appointed Comptroller, she spent more than a decade in the Office of the State Comptroller as General Counsel and Assistant Comptroller, helping oversee statewide retirement, healthcare, payroll, benefits, technology, and financial operations. 

Braswell also served as Chief of Planning, Legal, and Regulatory Affairs at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, where she led legal, regulatory, planning, environmental justice, and organizational initiatives for one of the state's largest agencies. She began her legal career at the Hartford law firm Updike, Kelly & Spellacy.

Her leadership and service have been recognized with numerous honors, including the University of Connecticut Distinguished Alumni Award, the University of Connecticut School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award, the University of Connecticut School of Public Policy Distinguished Alumni Award, the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association Visionary Award, and recognition by the Connecticut NAACP as one of the 100 Most Influential Black People in Connecticut.

As Interim Chancellor, Braswell brings a unique perspective shaped by all of her experiences. Her path to leading CSCU has been anything but traditional. If her career has proven anything, it’s that there is no single path to leadership. She has shown that with hard work, determination, and grit, a first-generation student from Windsor, Connecticut, who has dedicated her career to solving problems, building teams, serving the public, and breaking down barriers, can rise to lead one of New England’s largest public higher education systems. 

Braswell lives in Bloomfield, Connecticut with her husband Robert, their daughter Gabrielle, a quintessential theatre kid, and their dog Diogi.