Loudoun Business Professor Michael Brazie Retires

Michael Brazie, a longtime favorite of Business students at the Loudoun Campus, officially retired from NOVA on May 15 after a distinguished career. Professor Brazie started at the college as an adjunct professor in 2003 and was immediately noticed for his enthusiasm and caring attitude toward students. He became a full-time faculty member in Business and Management at NOVA in 2009. Business students flocked to his classes to benefit from his knowledge and advice stemming from a long career in management at firms including K-Mart; AVL Enterprises; Bed, Bath & Beyond and his own financial consulting business. The caring and support he always showed for his students, through thick and thin, was reflected in the fact that he was frequently seen surrounded by students who basked in the positive attention he generously lavished on them.

Brazie’s unwavering support for NOVA students extended into service activities as well. He was an excellent leader for the Loudoun Campus Achieving the Dream core team for several years. He also was instrumental in overcoming barriers for NOVA’s Business students who transfer to George Mason University. Capitalizing on the NOVA/Mason shared facility at Signal Hill, Brazie developed relationships with faculty in the GMU School of Management. When GMU changed from accepting only BUS 100 to accepting three other key Business courses in transfer, it was largely as a result of his persistence and efforts.

One of Professor Brazie’s colleagues, Business Faculty member Miguel Corrigan put it this way: “He is the kindest professor I’ve ever known. His heart always had room for students–intellectually, but also if they had personal issues…I asked students. (His) reviews were overwhelmingly positive–in fact, it was an uphill climb to duplicate any small part of his excellence. What I came away with was that they LOVED him—his empathy, his unassuming intellectual brilliance, his unwavering defense of them in any situation. They knew he had their back…His colleagues all appreciate his wisdom on a number of topics.”

Provost Leidig, Dean Canfield and all of Mike’s colleagues, whether on the Loudoun Campus or across NOVA, salute his accomplishments and thank him for his many contributions to the success of NOVA and our students. On behalf of NOVA, we thank him.