Associate dean at Western Michigan since 2011, Brown brings an extensive record of achievement in the arts — as an artist, educator and administrator — to his new role at WCU, said Provost Alison Morrison-Shetlar.

“George Brown has proven himself up to the challenge of leading our College of Fine and Performing Arts,” Morrison-Shetlar said. “With a 36-year career in the arts, including 21 years in the higher education arena, he has the experience, leadership skills, knowledge and creativity necessary to take Western Carolina’s already strong programs in the fine and performing arts to the next level.”

Prior to his appointment at Western Michigan, Brown served for 10 years as chair of the Department of Theatre Arts at Bradley University. During his final year at Bradley, he also served as interim chair of the Department of Interactive Media. He taught and served as head of the directing program at Texas Christian University from 1993 until joining the faculty at Bradley in 2002.

He has worked in professional and university theater for more 20 years, filling a variety of positions ranging from director to actor to fight choreographer. He has directed more than 100 productions in theaters across the U.S., Caribbean and Europe and served as managing artistic director of Island Center for the Performing Arts in the U.S. Virgin Islands.