Colonel Michael Brown, USMC (Ret.)
Colonel Brown was born in Key West, Florida and is the son of a career Marine. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps in 1989 after graduating from Purdue University. At Purdue, he was a 4-year NROTC scholarship midshipman and played on the Purdue Varsity baseball team in 1986-87. After graduating, he attended The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia and was assigned the Motor Transport Officer occupational specialty and later became a Logistics Officer.
Colonel Brown has combat deployments supporting Desert Shield and Desert Storm and Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. He also deployed to Joint Task Force-6 on the U.S.-Mexican border, spent three years overseas in Japan and Korea, and supported Joint Task Force-Bravo in Honduras. Colonel Brown commanded Marine Corps units as Captain, Lieutenant Colonel, and Colonel. He has held staff positions at every operational level in the Marine Corps; and at USSOUTHCOM and the Pentagon as part of the Joint Staff.
Beyond his bachelor’s degree from Purdue University, he has attended and graduated from Expeditionary Warfare School, Combined Logistics Officers Advance Course, Command and Staff College (non-resident), Joint Advanced Warfighting School, and earned his Master of Science degree in Joint Operational and Strategic Planning from the National Defense University.
Upon retiring from the Marine Corps in 2018, Colonel Brown served as the President/CEO of Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia. In 2021, Colonel Brown joined the International Leadership of Texas public charter school district and became the Senior Marine Instructor at Arlington-Grand Prairie High School where he led the cadets in achieving Naval Honor School designation by the Department of the Navy. Colonel Brown became the ILTexas Executive Director, MCJROTC in June 2022 seeing the program develop from four units (565 cadets) to seven units (1,483 cadets), with five units earning Naval Honor School designation. He began his role as the MCJROTC Region 1 Director in April 2026.
Colonel Brown is married to his wife, Sharon, and they have two kids, Nick (19) a freshman at the University of Oklahoma NROTC unit; and Hannah (15) a freshman in high school. When not working, Colonel Brown enjoys family activities, all things outdoors, and an occasional round of golf.