Prior to his legislative duties, Rep. Brown was a public school teacher for twenty-three years in Kansas City Public Schools. He was a member of the Kansas City Federation of Teachers Local 691 where he was a building representative for many years and later served as Vice-President of Welfare. He is a Life Member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and a Life Member of the NAACP. Rep. Brown is a member of the Concord Fortress of Hope Church in Kansas City.

Rep. Brown was born in Ft. Riley, Kansas. He graduated from Kansas City's Southeast High School in 1981 and earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees in 1986 and 1996 from the University of Central Missouri. He later completed another Master of Arts degree from Webster University in 2018. He is respected in the legislature for his knowledge of public pension plans. He was appointed to the Joint Committee on Public Employee Retirement in 2017. In 2019, Rep. Brown was appointed to the Missouri Tourism Commission. In addition, Rep. Brown is a Commissioner on the Route 66 Centennial Commission. Prior to the start of the 101st General Assembly in 2020, he was elected as the Assistant Minority Floor Leader and re-elected to the position in 2022