Dr. Lauren Brown is a highly accomplished social policy expert, educator, and consultant with over two decades of experience in public policy, research, community engagement, and program development. Dr. Brown’s career spans a range of leadership roles in academia, nonprofit organizations, and public policy consulting.
As a Research Scientist at the University of Southern California’s Safe Communities Institute, she participated in studies on police-community relations and innovative public safety strategies. She continues to serve as a Co-Principal Investigator on the interdisciplinary Everyday Respect project, supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and Microsoft’s Justice Reform Initiative. The study aims to develop machine algorithms to analyze body-worn camera footage to improve communication and trust between law enforcement and the communities it serves.
Dr. Brown held a Post-Doctoral Scholar position at USC’s Safe Communities Institute. In this role, she contributed to the development of the Police Misconduct Registry and collaborated with the Long Beach Police Department’s Office of Constitutional Policing and Policy. She also served on the Department of Public Safety Community Advisory Board (CAB), where she co-chaired and participated in meetings to enhance public safety strategies.
Dr. Brown has taught graduate-level courses at USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy, Rossier School of Education, and the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Her curriculum covered topics such as policy analysis, research and evaluation, diversity and equity, organizational leadership, and social innovation, equipping future leaders to address complex societal challenges. She has also held administrative and teaching positions at the University of West Los Angeles, where she served as Interim Dean of the Graduate Studies Program.
In addition to her academic career, Dr. Brown is the principal at DGLB Consultants, where she provides expertise in community engagement, capacity building and program development and evaluation. She has facilitated community dialogues, designed assessment tools, and developed diversity and inclusion strategies to enhance program outcomes.
Dr. Brown is deeply committed to the preservation of cultural and historical institutions, exemplified by her work with the Wilfandel Club, the oldest African American women’s club in Los Angeles. As First Vice President of Wilfandel, Dr. Brown has played a critical role in securing grants to preserve and restore the historic Wilfandel House, ensuring its legacy as
a vital community resource. Her efforts include successfully obtaining funding to support infrastructure improvements, accessibility upgrades, and community programming, all of which collectively honor the organization’s mission to promote cultural, educational, and civic engagement.
Dr. Lauren’s work has earned her numerous grants and awards, including those from the National Science Foundation and Microsoft’s Justice Reform Initiative. She earned her Ph.D. from the Florence Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.
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