Leonard Brown Jr. is a writer and higher education leader from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He serves as Vice President for Student Affairs at Norfolk State University, where his work centers on student success, access, and the belief that education can change the direction of a family. Over his career he has served students at colleges and universities across Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. He holds degrees in psychology, higher education administration, theology, and management as well as a certificate in fiction writing.

What We Leave Behind, his debut novel, draws from his family history spanning both generations and coasts. Like much of his work, it explores the ways family, history, and circumstance shape who we become and what we leave behind for those who follow.

When he isn't writing, he can usually be found fishing, listening to records, or traveling to places where history still speaks, reading about the people and moments that continue to shape how we live today. He lives in Virginia Beach and is the proud father of three wonderful daughters.