Terry Brown

Terry E. Brown leads America250’s federal partnerships to secure the largest possible participation in the America250 commemoration.

He is the former Superintendent of Fort Monroe National Monument and a long-time veteran of the National Park Service (NPS), with more than 30 years in federal service. Brown helped organize and lead the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in English North America, which culminated with the joint ribbon-cutting on a Fort Monroe Visitor Center and a Healing Day Ceremony.

He also played a critical role in helping to stand up the Academies of Hampton School Initiative, which was working to transform the traditional high school experience into an innovative model that prepared all students for career opportunities, linking academic courses to college majors and career sectors. Subsequently, he was awarded the 2017 Council Spotlight Award from the City of Hampton, in appreciation of service to the community. He served as a liaison to the Fort Monroe Authority Board of Trustees, and in 2018 he was selected by the Secretary of Interior to serve as a member of the Federal 400 Years of African American History Commission.

Brown’s NPS career began at Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River. He went on to serve as an Interpretive Park Ranger at Independence National Historic Site, a Supervisory Park Ranger at National Mall & Memorial Parks, and Site Manager of Boston African American National Historic Park. Additionally, he worked as Site Manager at Old Post Office Tower, Chief of Interpretation and Education at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Superintendent of Springfield Armory National Historic Site, and Chief of Interpretation and Education at Boston National Historical Park.

He is the recipient of several NPS awards and honors, including the Outstanding Service Award for 2004 Federal Executive Board of Excellence in Government with category of Improved Federal Image. In 2019, he received from the City of Hampton another Council Spotlight Award in appreciation of his work in the community. Most recently he received the prestigious 2019 Appleman-Judd-Lewis award for his leadership in the commemoration of 400 years of African American history that ultimately led to racial unity and healing at the park.

Raised in a military family, Brown was graduated from AFCENT Brunssum International High School in the Netherlands and returned to the U.S. to earn his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Grambling State University.