Ben Brown is the Budget and Grant Manager for the CRF department, focusing on budgets, reconciliation, and grants. Ben has 14 years of experience working in the non-profit sector, state government, and Native American tribal governments. His extensive experience working with disadvantaged populations with underfunded organizations has helped him develop a strong sense of empathy, compassion, inclusion, financial discipline, leadership, vision, and authenticity.

Ben’s work history includes Assistant Director of the Cultural Department at the Wiyot Tribe, museum consultant for the Karuk Tribe, Executive Director of the Clarke Historical Museum, and the CEO of Redwood Acres Fairgrounds prior to coming to the Anthropology Dept at Cal Poly Humboldt in 2022. In each capacity, Ben helped move the organization to become socially, financially, and environmentally sustainable, modernize operations, and reconnect with the community they were founded to serve. He enjoyed identifying trends and working directly with community stakeholders to understand and address local needs. Regardless of what community he has worked in, his priority has been to effectively listen to the needs of the community, while envisioning strategies to address them. He prides himself for helping create a culture of empowerment and inclusivity. He loves spending time with his family, getting out in nature and going to community events.