By VCU News staff

Brian P. Brown, Ph.D., will serve as the dean of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business, starting April 25.

Brown, a professor in the Department of Marketing, has been the school’s interim dean since January 2024. The Board of Visitors will officially consider the appointment at its next quarterly meeting. Brown was selected after a national search.

“For nearly a year and half now, Brian Brown has led VCU’s School of Business as an interim dean with distinction,” said Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “His unique blend of experience – both as a marketing practitioner for large, national brands and a researcher with an impressive list of published works – is a terrific fit for a school that constantly unites theory and practice throughout its curricular offerings. In just one year, Brian led the development of the school’s new strategic plan, engaged strong leaders in his administrative team and has also successfully grown the school’s enrollment.

“Brian understands what it means to succeed in an increasingly competitive higher education environment, and I am confident that he will take our School of Business to new heights of excellence.”

After serving as an assistant professor for five years at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he earned an award for outstanding teaching, Brown joined VCU as an assistant professor in 2011, rising to the ranks of associate professor in 2013 and professor in 2019. Brown has more than 15 years of experience in marketing, management and consulting. His background includes several years at The Coca-Cola Company, including a role as brand manager of Coca-Cola Classic. More recently, he was vice president of marketing at Snapper Power Equipment.

“I’m honored and humbled to lead a school where I’ve spent the most formative years of my academic career,” Brown said. “Growing within this community has given me a deep appreciation for the people and what makes the School of Business distinctive — our purpose and our drive. Across faculty and staff, there’s a shared commitment to giving students the best possible experience, advancing research, opening doors to new opportunities and staying connected to the world around us. I’m proud to continue that legacy and help lead our community into its next phase of growth.”

Brown’s research interests include brand strategy, business-to-business marketing and product management. He has published articles in several of marketing's top academic journals, including the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Brand Management and Journal of Business Research. He serves on the editorial review board of the Journal of Business Research. The VCU School of Business awarded Brown a Most Inspiring Teacher Award in 2013 and an Award of Excellence in 2019. He was also selected to be a Provost Faculty Fellow in 2022.

Brown’s board memberships include VCU’s Institute of Contemporary Art, Preservation Virginia and VPM. He earned his Ph.D. from Georgia State University, his MBA from Duke University, and his B.A. from the University of Virginia.