April H. Brown is an educator, ordained minister, poet, singer, actor, and nationally recognized nonprofit leader whose work bridges the arts, education, and social justice. Based in Providence, Rhode Island, April brings over 25 years of experience in community development, cultural leadership, and educational equity.

She also serves as Co-Director of the Langston Hughes Community Poetry Reading Committee, that amplifies Black literary voices through civic poetry gatherings.

She is a Research Fellow with Ocean Nexus within the Department of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island.

Most recently April served as the Director of the Racial and Environmental Justice Committee, where she led strategic fundraising, stakeholder partnerships, and community-based initiatives to advance equity and sustainability.

April holds a Bachelor of Arts from American University and a Master of Education from the University of Rhode Island. She has worked in a wide array of professional and cultural settings, including with the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and the National Museum of American History, where she helped produce landmark public events such as the National World War II Reunion and the Folklife Festival. Locally, she has collaborated with Rhode Island Black Storytellers, the National Association of Black Storytellers, and served as the African Marketplace Director.

A deeply respected educator, April has served in various roles from Head Start Teacher to Local Program Director of Turnaround Arts: Providence, where she supported arts integration across public schools. She has designed culturally responsive curriculum, mentored educators, and led professional development that centers equity and artistic expression. Her extensive experience in pre-K through post-secondary education has focused on uplifting low-income, first-generation students and cultivating pathways to lifelong success.

April is currently a Commissioner on the City of Providence’s Special Committee for Commemorative Works, where she helps shape inclusive public memory and civic representation. Her leadership has been instrumental across numerous initiatives involving environmental justice, youth empowerment, arts education, and volunteer engagement.

Her areas of expertise include curriculum and program design, nonprofit leadership, stakeholder management, fundraising strategy, and community-based storytelling. April is a compelling public speaker and writer, April has performed across the U.S., Japan, and Israel, and continues to integrate the arts into every facet of her leadership practice.

“For April, arts practice is the way we speak life into humanity.”