Stony Brook Names Art M. Lee Chief Campus Counsel

Stony Brook University said this week that Art M. Lee will assume the role of chief campus counsel on January 15, 2026, after a national search. Lee arrives with nearly three decades of legal experience in higher education and was most recently on the legal team at the University of Arizona. University leadership highlighted his higher-education and health-care legal experience as a key fit for the position.

As chief campus counsel, Lee will supervise the regional Office of General Counsel that supports Stony Brook’s academic campus, Stony Brook Medicine, and the Long Island State Veterans Home. That portfolio places the office at the intersection of university governance, clinical care, public health compliance, and long-term care for veterans—areas that carry both legal complexity and direct consequences for residents across Suffolk County.

Legal oversight of a major academic health system shapes how contracts, regulatory compliance, patient privacy, clinical partnerships, and research agreements are managed. For patients and families who rely on Stony Brook Medicine for care, robust counsel can influence how quickly services expand, how safely they are delivered, and how the institution responds during public health emergencies. For the Long Island State Veterans Home, legal leadership affects operations that touch veterans’ health, staffing, inspection compliance, and access to benefits—matters of acute concern to veterans and their communities.

Beyond immediate operational issues, the appointment comes at a time when healthcare institutions and universities face evolving state and federal rules, heightened scrutiny around equity and access, and ongoing fiscal pressures. A chief counsel familiar with both higher-education governance and healthcare law can help navigate those pressures while advising on policies that protect vulnerable populations, including low-income patients and veterans.

For Suffolk County residents, the change signals a renewed institutional emphasis on legal alignment across campus and affiliated care sites. The regional Office of General Counsel will continue to advise university leadership, manage institutional risk, and support legal needs across academic and clinical programs. Lee’s start date on January 15 gives local stakeholders a clear timeline for the transition.

As Stony Brook moves forward, the university’s legal stewardship will play a practical role in shaping service delivery, compliance with regulatory standards, and the institution’s obligations to its patients and veteran residents. The community will be watching how the new chief counsel balances legal risk with access, equity, and the health needs of Suffolk County.