Dr. Chad R. Brown grew up on a beef cattle farm in West Virginia and earned his DVM from Purdue University. He began his career as a small-animal associate, then built a large-animal mobile side business—eventually combining both into his own mixed-animal practice. Along the way, he leaned into entrepreneurship, building both main ventures and side ventures, including an e-commerce business, because he genuinely enjoys creating something useful from scratch.
Chad has also built a parallel career in academia and operations. He helped launch and lead an AVMA-accredited Veterinary Technology Program, later led veterinary nursing education at Purdue University, and now serves as Executive Director of Hospital Operations and Clinical Associate Professor at Iowa State University's Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center, supporting the systems and teams behind patient care and clinical training.
His newest project is chadrbrown.com, where he writes with Appalachian wit and hard-won perspective about careers, leadership, and money—often using his own missteps as a case study so others don't have to learn the hard way. Whether you're navigating a career pivot, trying to make sense of finances, or simply wondering if there's a better way to do meaningful work without losing yourself in the process, his essays turn real-life messiness into clear, usable advice.
