Brown to lead Women + Girls Research Alliance

Effective Monday, Sept. 15, Heather Brown will become the executive director of the Women + Girls Research Alliance.

According to academic affairs officials, Brown will lead the alliance to fully realize its mission to become a recognized authority in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County on issues affecting women and girls.

Brown holds a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and an Ed.D. in adult and higher education with a certificate in women’s studies from Northern Illinois University. Most recently, Brown headed the grant writing and publications unit in the Office of Research at the University of Missouri. While there, she helped faculty secure more than $20 million in federal and private grants and contracts. Her professional experience also includes work with nonprofits in Boston, newspaper reporting, editorial assistance on a scholarly journal and assistant dean of the faculty at a private college.