Mary Helen Brown (from Center, Texas) is the Acting Chair of the Department of Communication and Journalism. She is a graduate of Lon Morris College (A.A), Centenary College (B.A.), the University of Kentucky (M.A.), and The University of Texas (Ph.D.). Her research interests include stories and storytelling, informal organizational communication (rumors), and how people communicate and make sense of the world around them. Her primary teaching areas are in organizational and interpersonal communication.

Dr. Brown has received several awards for her teaching. These include being named the Outstanding Professor in Communication and the Social Sciences by the College of Liberal Arts and being named as a Faculty Honoree for Auburn University's Camp War Eagle.  The "most fun" thing she has done at Auburn was to lead a Plainsman War Eagle and run the bases at the pep rally for "Camp Brown" in 2005.

In her spare time, Dr. Brown enjoys traveling, Auburn and Texas sports (especially baseball), and playing with her two pets.  More specifically, she hopes to set foot in all 50 states and all 7 continents.  When in Auburn, she can often be found holding alternative office hours at Plainsman Park, home of the Auburn Baseball Tigers.  At home, pets from A, Addy, an East Alabama Black Dog, to Z, Zane, an East Texas Grey Cat, are a lot of fun.