Dr. Santarvis Brown is a multifaceted executive leader with over 15 years of documented success in providing stellar organizational leadership, delivering innovative solutions, spearheading major institutional missions and initiatives, overseeing fiscal budgets, as well as training, developing, and managing personnel within the higher education sector.
Moreover, Dr. Brown’s wealth of experience, unrivaled passion, and strong work ethic have equipped him with the skills and tools to effectively lead faculty and staff while also being an agent of progressive change and innovation. The intersectionality of faith, service, education, and vision-driven leadership has been the hallmark of Dr. Brown’s entire professional career and, ultimately, his life.
Lessons Learnt from Early Life Experiences
From a young age, Dr. Brown learned the importance of hard work and dedication. He also realized that education is the key to a successful future. Likewise, Dr. Brown grew up in a very supportive family that ensured he had all the resources needed to become a decent adult. He studied at world-renowned universities such as Harvard, Cornell, Columbia Southern University, and many others to pursue higher education.
Dr. Brown cites an instance during his college days when he struggled with Math. He explains, “I would do well on the homework assignments, but when it came time to take the tests, I would fail.” He even volunteered whenever the professor asked for someone to solve a problem on the board, knowing his answer was wrong. He would even go to the professor’s office every day, asking for help.
Later, to his utter surprise, he scored a B in that class at the end of the semester. “I remember going to the professor and asking him if he made a mistake on my grade,” shares Dr. Brown. What his teacher quoted that day remains a life lesson that Dr. Brown continues to implement in every aspect of his life to this day. His teacher said, “You gave it your best in the test, and that was all that mattered. Remember, you won’t get everything in life, but as long as you give it your best shot, you will succeed.”
An Exceptional Career Trajectory as a Leader & Changemaker in Education
In 2002, Dr. Brown’s career and passion for education began when he served as the Executive Director at the AGAPE Academic Enrichment Center. The center was dedicated to providing tutoring services to the students attending schools in the Overtown community. However, it ended up closing due to a lack of funding. After that, he took on the role of a middle school technology teacher. “I loved my job because it allowed me to work with children, and I also understood what it took to be an effective educator,” states Dr. Brown. He indeed donned numerous hats besides being a teacher; he became a father figure, big brother, uncle, lawyer, pastor, and advocate, all rolled into one for his students.
Afterward, Dr. Brown served as the Vice President of Civic Leadership at Catalyst Miami, where he provided leadership and vision to the Civic Leadership department and supported the team in meeting the department’s goals and upholding organizational values. At Seminole Tribe of Florida Department of Education, he became the First African-American to hold the distinction of Director and was responsible for strategic planning and the overall development of the department.
In 2014, Dr. Brown took on the role of Project/Grant Director at Miami Dade College, where he oversaw and managed the tracking and maintenance of multi-million-dollar grants. He then joined Miami Regional University as the Associate Provost Academic and Full Professor and launched various remarkable programs, including the Inaugural Doctor of Nursing Practice Program and the School of Business with the Master of Business Administration Program. Under his leadership, the university experienced significant enrolment growth and a tremendous retention and graduation rate increase.
Since July 2022, Dr. Brown has been appointed as the Thought Leader and Facilitator at eCornell, Cornell University’s executive education unit, providing professional programs to students & organizations globally. He is also serving as a Fellow at Governance Institute for School Accountability and as the Leadership Lecturer at the University of Virginia.
The Secret to Making the Training Programs Effective & Engaging
As a transformational leadership coach, Dr. Brown speaks at numerous community and educational forums and offers one-on-one training programs to people and organizations. At the beginning of each session, he likes to understand his target audience and what they expect to gain from the training. Moreover, his choice of method is the nurturing and engaging approach. He explains, “I always like my clients to know that I am there to support and guide them as they realize the potential inside of themselves while reaching their goals.”
During one of his Emotional Intelligence training in South Carolina in 2020 to Law Enforcement, Dr. Brown recalls that on the first day, the attendees didn’t really seem to get engaged and were a tough crowd to please. However, on the last day, many of them reached out and asked for Dr. Brown’s contact number so that they could continue to engage. From his former students becoming his colleagues to him guiding institutions through the accreditation process to mentees carving successful careers as teachers, principals, professors, and administrators, Dr. Brown regards them as his special mileposts.
A Day in the Life of a Transformational Coach
Being an early riser, Dr. Brown starts his day by 5:30 a.m. His mantra for staying calm under stress is reminding himself that it is not the end of the world. Although, he admits that it took some time for him to come to this realization. Dr. Brown also shares that he finds 100% unplugging from work a difficult task. Therefore, one thing that he personally follows and recommends to others is to put the phone on airplane mode and just live in the moment.
A Deep-Rooted Desire to Make an Impact in Students’ Lives
“I want to leave people better than they were when I met them,” passionately says, Dr. Brown. This desire to change the life of every student he encounters comes from the time when he first entered the education field back in 2003. He further adds, “Since then, I have been blessed to come into contact and teach thousands of students, and it is my hope that I made their lives better.”
Pearls of Wisdom for the Aspirants
As an experienced leadership coach and education strategist, Dr. Brown recommends aspiring business executives to be unapologetically and authentically remain true to themselves! He further says, “Trust yourself, trust your abilities, and know that you’ve got what it takes. Sometimes, we doubt ourselves and our abilities, so it is important to constantly remind yourself of this daily.”
Ongoing Projects
Currently, Dr. Brown is working on publishing his book entitled ‘Leading while Leading, Leadership Lessons Learned on the Curb and Cuff, ’ which is slated for launch by December 2022.
For More Info: https://santarvisbrown.com/