kevin brown

Kevin Brown is a citizen of the Diné Nation. His ancestry is Kinyi’aanii (Towering House), Tótsoh’nii (Big Water) and Tódichii’nii (Bitter Water), and Tachiinii (Red Streaks Through the Bottom) peoples. He is from Chinle, Arizona.

His academic training began at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA), where he studied in the pioneering Indigenous Museology program under Charles Dailey. He later earned a degree in Anthropology from the University of Arizona, conducting research in the Southwest Archaeology Laboratory under Dr. Barbara Mills. These experiences in cultural preservation and resource management shaped his early Anthropological career focus.

Brown’s previous research specialized in Public Archaeology at the University of New Mexico. His research, influenced by Dr. Patricia Crown’s methodologies, examines the longue durée of social dynamics in Diné technological production. His previous archaeological work centers on Diné pottery manufacturing and consumption in northern New Mexico during the early Spanish Colonial period.

Building upon his foundational experiences in cultural preservation and deep engagement with Indigenous communities, Kevin Brown served as the Program Administrator for the Indigenous Nations Library Program (INLP) at the University of New Mexico. In this role, he integrates his professional and academic background to advance Indigenous Librarianship, to center Indigenous knowledge systems, and provide critical academic and research support to Indigenous students. Inspired by working in higher education, Kevin applied and was accepted into the Learning, Literacies, and Technologies doctoral program in the Mary Lou Fulton Teaching and Learning Innovation. 

These INLP experiences inform his current doctoral research, which employs an Indigenous Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) framework to understand youth pedagogical experiences. Centered on collaborative design with Indigenous youth, the project develops youth-driven pedagogies conceptualizing language and land as dynamic, essential learning entry points. Emphasizing holism and fluidity, the methodology advocates a flexible, context-driven approach—mirroring water's responsiveness to changing conditions and material contexts—to nurture learning that transcends conventional educational boundaries.