Dr. Ray Brown, Vice President for Economic and Community Development at Rogers State University, graduated on Oct. 10 from the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute.
The Economic Development Institute is a three-session program, each one week long, which provides a broad spectrum of advanced education for economic development professionals. Students must complete 117 hours of instruction in areas such as business retention and expansion, real estate development and reuse, economic development financing, managing economic development organizations, strategic planning and marketing.
In 2002, Brown was named director of the newly created Center for Economic and Community Development at RSU. The purpose of the center is to promote economic development and address the educational needs of business and industry in northeastern Oklahoma.
He also currently serves as a director and chairman of the Claremore Industrial and Economic Development Authority, and is a member of the Governor’s Economic Development Team for Oklahoma.
He has more than 20 years of executive experience in higher education including four years as Executive Vice President and Vice President for Academic Affairs at RSU. Brown has a Ph.D. in sociology from Brown University with a specialization in demography and economic development.