Sonja M. Brown, Ph.D. is Fayetteville State University’s new Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and Faculty Affairs.

In this role, Brown supports the Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor by working with deans and department chairs to recruit and retain highly qualified faculty members who will help advance the mission and strategic plan of FSU. She will also assist in planning, organizing and monitoring academic program areas and implementing strategies to promote FSU goals and priority with a focus on academic excellence.

“We welcome the invaluable expertise Dr. Brown brings to FSU,” said Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor, Monica Leach, Ed.D. in a press release. “Brown’s experiences will be a vital component to the success of our bold academically focused goals of the Ready for Tomorrow strategic plan.”

Brown served in a variety of leadership positions including Dean of the College of Media and Mass Communication at The American University in the Emirates in Dubai and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Great Basin College prior to joining FSU. She has supported students, faculty and staff on remotely based, community college and university campuses over her career. As a faculty member at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Brown taught courses in interpersonal communication, mass media and research methods. She is the co-author and editor of four books and several journal articles about representations of Black women in media and Black women’s leadership experiences.

Brown is a graduate of several national administrative professional development programs, including the Higher Education Resource Services Women’s Leadership Institute in 2010 and the American Council on Education Department Chair Leadership Academy in 2010. She earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Communication Studies from Fresno State University, and a doctorate degree in Communication Studies from the University of Georgia.