As a member of the NMSU community, she has held several different positions over 25 years that have included:  Founder and Director of the NMSU STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Outreach Center, Associate faculty/staff member of the NMSU College of Education, Interim Associate Dean of Research, and Interim Dean of the NMSU College of Education.  Besides her work with NMSU, she was a Science Educator for NASA, and taught science for 15 years in high school and middle schools.

Currently she has accepted the temporary position as the Director of the newly formed STEM Education Research Institute.   

Starting the NMSU STEM Outreach Center, Dr. Brown was awarded a NASA grant and then over the years wrote many grants that exceeded 50 million dollars for the Center, as well being a member of large grants that were awarded to the NMSU STEM community. These grants included more NASA awards, as well as grants from National Science Foundation, 21st Century Community Learning Centers (federal/state), many different foundation grants (intel HP, ADC, RGK, Engineering Information, Toyota USA, El Paso Corporation, etc. and other state and federal grants. These awards have grown so that over 6,800 K-8th grade students each semester participate in afterschool STEM programs in almost every school in the Las Cruces, Hatch, and Gadsden School districts. The student participants receive dinner and snacks every afternoon as well as the opportunity to participate in STEM camps every summer vacation. All of these activities are free for the students, as all other expenses for the school districts.  

Besides the grant work, teaching science education and facilitating educator workshops have been threaded throughout her career; and she has shared her experiences while teaching many science and math methods classes at New Mexico State University. She was a member of one of the first groups of teachers to have earned the title of being nationally board-certified.  Also, during her teaching career she has earned numerous awards such as the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching, NMSU Outstanding Research Award, NMSU Research Achievement Award, NASA Trailblazer Award, NASA Innovative Program Award, the Disney/McDonald Award, AAAS Larus Award, Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, and special recognition from the New Mexico legislature. 

Her research focus is science education and the underrepresentation of minority students and females in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.  All her grant work and her publications (peer rereviewed articles and books) reflect this focus.