Mr. Brown is an accomplished foreign service professional with a distinguished career in development and humanitarian efforts spanning over 17 years. He has demonstrated exceptional leadership in managing multi-disciplinary teams, advising on U.S. Government development initiatives and policy reforms, coordinating USAID humanitarian aid, and overseeing program cycle operations. In recognition of his contributions, he was named a 2023 Next Generation of Black Diplomatic Leaders by the Meridian International Center and also participated as a fellow in the 2023 International Career Advancement Program. Furthermore, he is an alumnus of the 2024 cohort for the Colin Powell Leadership Institute, organized by Black Professionals in International Affairs.
Currently, Mr. Brown directs the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance’s (BHA) Office of Technical and Program Quality. He previously served as the Deputy Office Director within the same office. His leadership encompasses a diverse office structure comprising five divisions and 18 technical and administrative teams, totaling around 230 staff members both in Washington and the field. Mr. Brown plays a key role in facilitating the implementation of $400 million in International Disaster Assistance and Food Aid. He actively advocates for U.S. programmatic policies and strategic initiatives, engaging with various external stakeholders, including the Departments of State and Defense, the National Security Council, the United Nations, other donors, implementing partners, and Congress. Additionally, he co-leads BHA's initiatives on climate adaptation and the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus, representing the bureau in the U.S. Government's Climate Change Leadership Council and Agency-wide HDP policy team.
Before his tenure at BHA, Mr. Brown was the Supervisory Program Officer at USAID/Ghana, where he spearheaded the Mission's innovative $701 million behavior-led integrated strategy aimed at fostering Ghana's self-reliance. He also played a pivotal role in reallocating over $20 million in assistance to bolster Ghana’s response to COVID-19 and served as the primary development coordinator for U.S. Africa Command’s humanitarian assistance operations in the country.
In previous roles, Mr. Brown acted as the Senior Project Development Officer and Acting Director of USAID/Pakistan's Office of Program Management, collaborating closely with senior leadership at the Embassy and USAID to refine the programmatic focus of USAID/Pakistan and negotiate resource allocations that supported U.S. foreign policy objectives in the region.
As the Deputy Director and later Director of USAID/West Bank and Gaza's Strategic Planning and Analysis Office, Mr. Brown was the senior USAID representative at the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem. He served as the primary liaison between USAID and the Palestinian Authority's development agency, facilitating interagency cooperation, strategic planning, and results reporting. He also coordinated with various donors and both Israeli and Palestinian officials, designing a $200 million comprehensive project aimed at the recovery, resilience, and reconstruction of communities devastated by conflict in Gaza.
Mr. Brown's experience also includes three consecutive assignments at the USAID Mission to Nigeria, where he held the roles of Project Development Officer, Deputy Program Officer, Supervisory Program Officer, and U.S. Embassy Disaster Relief Officer. During his time in Abuja, he successfully realigned a $470 million cross-sectoral portfolio to further U.S. Global Development policies and served as the senior U.S. representative on Nigeria’s Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation.
He earned a Master of Arts in International Business and a Master of Science in Family, Youth, and Community Development from the University of Florida, along with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University.
Academic Appointment(s)
- Primary
- Adjunct Professor, SFS - Institute for the Study of International Migration (ISIM)