Erika E. A. Brown

Erika E. A. Brown is the Director of Inclusion and Collaboration at the American Physical Society (APS), where she champions strategic efforts to embed diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging across all facets of the Society’s work, including governance, programming, and culture. In this leadership role, Dr. Brown collaborates with APS senior leadership and cross-organizational partners to develop and implement a cohesive, multi-year inclusion strategy that aligns with APS’s mission and core values. She drives institutional accountability through measurable goals and facilitates partnerships that advance inclusion in the physical sciences.

Brown brings over a decade of experience leading and implementing inclusive initiatives, along with deep expertise in strategy development, stakeholder engagement and change management. Prior to her current role, Brown served as the APS Education and Diversity Program Lead, where she designed and executed high-impact national initiatives, developed strategic partnerships with professional societies and community organizations, and led evaluation-informed program improvements. In that capacity, she managed multimillion-dollar budgets, spearheaded successful grant proposals totaling over $2 million, and guided teams to deliver inclusive STEM programming at scale.

Brown earned her MS and Ph.D. in Psychology from Brown University, and a B.A. from Spelman College, a Historically Black College and University in Atlanta, GA. She is nationally recognized for her commitment to transforming STEM culture through inclusive leadership, meaningful collaboration, and evidence-driven strategy