Dr. Star Brown - Associate Director, Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership

Phone

Website

Office address
414 B
College of Education Building

Biography

Dr. Star Brown has more than 25 years of experience in the community college system as an instructor, administrator, student advisor, and faculty mentor. She is a four-time alumna of Appalachian State University, including graduation from the doctoral program in educational leadership. Dr. Brown holds graduate affiliate faculty status and currently serves on dissertation committees and teaches courses on educational research.

Dr. Brown previously served as the doctoral program’s inaugural Dissertation Coach, where she supported students in the dissertation phase through academic writing guidance, dissertation development, and strategies for sustaining progress through completion. Her transition to Associate Director extends this work and reflects her commitment to mentoring doctoral students and supporting their successful progression through the program.

Assists With

Internships
Qualifying Essays
Dissertation Committee Formation
Affiliate Graduate Faculty Membership and External Member Registration
Dissertation Support
Pre-Defense Support
Defense Support

Education/Degrees

Doctor of Education, Educational Leadership. Appalachian State University; Boone, NC. 2017.
Educational Specialist, Higher Education Administration. Appalachian State University; Boone, NC. 2001.
Master of Science, Accounting. Appalachian State University; Boone, NC. 1997.
Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, Accounting. Appalachian State University; Boone, NC. 1996.

Research Areas

Higher education leadership with a focus on community colleges
Regional institutional accreditation
Women in higher education leadership
Qualitative methodologies
First-generation college students
Socio-cultural issues in higher education with an emphasis on the promotion of social justice
Post-structuralism
Critical theories
Feminist pedagogies

Selected Publications

Brown, S. (2017). Doing, undoing, and redoing collegiate athletics: Conceptual tales of marginality and mattering. https://doi.org/10.71889/5fylantbak.29861996
Brown, S., McKesson, L., Robinson, J. & Jackson, A. (2020). Possibles and post qualitative inquiry. Qualitative Inquiry.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1077800420922266
Brown, S., & Proctor, K. (2025). Dangerous dissertations: Alternative approaches to dissertation inquiry. Impacting Education, 10(3), 113–122. https://doi.org/10.5195/ie.2025.494
Miller, V. & Brown, S. (2024). Alternative formats: Thinking differently about dissertations in practice and faculty dissertation mentoring. In Everson, L. Hemmer, K. Torres, & S. R. Tamim (Eds.). The importance of the dissertation in practice (DiP): A resource guide for EdD students (pp. 205-221). Myers Education Press. https://myersedpress.presswarehouse.com/browse/book/9781975505578/The-Importance-of-the-Dissertation-in-Practice-DiP
Miller, V. & Brown, S. (2025). Nourishing alternatives: An introduction to the special issue. Impacting Education Journal on Transforming Professional Practice, 10(3), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.5195/ie.2025.556

Academic Field

Educational Leadership

Professional Organizations

The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED)

Awards and Honors

Alice P. Naylor Outstanding Dissertation Award. Appalachian State University. April 2018.
https://today.appstate.edu/2018/05/18/naylor
Cratis D. Williams Graduate Honor Society. Appalachian State University. May 2017.
Excellence in Teaching Award. Western Piedmont Community College. May 2013.