Ayanna F. Brown, PhD

Dr. Ayanna F. Brown comes to Erikson from Elmhurst University, where she serves as Associate Professor of Education and Cultural Studies, Coordinator for the English Language Arts major, and Ombudsperson. Previously, she served as Associate Chair of Curriculum & Professional Development.

Dr. Brown holds a B.S. from Tuskegee University in Language Arts Education, M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instructional Leadership from Vanderbilt University Peabody College, and Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in Language, Literacy and Sociology. Her research focuses on discussions of “race,” contemporary African American studies, and discourse analysis. Dr. Brown was Chair of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Assembly for Research (2013-2014). She holds memberships with several honor societies including Phi Kappa Phi, Alpha Mu Gamma, and Alpha Kappa Mu.

Dr. Brown is the author of several peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and is Co-Editor of Critical Consciousness in Curricular Research: Evidence from the Field. She is Editor of Racial Literacies Informed by the Sociopolitical and Sociocultural Contexts for Youth. Dr. Brown is a member of NCTE, AERA (where she serves as Division G Co-Chair for Language, Literacies, and Communities), and is a founding Member of The World Congress of Applied Linguistics on Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality.

In addition to engaging in research and advocacy nationwide, Dr. Brown has presented her scholarship on four continents. Over her 25-year career, she has taught at Metro Nashville Public Schools, developed curricula and programs for school partnerships, and received many research grants and fellowships, including the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Elementary Education Midwest & Plains Center Equity Fellows. She is Co-Principal Investigator for RESULT, a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant aimed at increasing the number of STEM majors employing culturally responsive education as a catalyst for thinking about teaching in everyday life. Alongside colleagues, Dr. Brown was recently awarded a $1.3 million NSF Grant, PRIDE, to continue working to increase diverse teachers of STEM focus on literacies and culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies.

Dr. Ayanna F. Brown will begin August 1. Learn more about Associate Vice-President Ayanna F. Brown