Corey was born and raised in the small town of Quitman, GA by his parents, James C. Brown, Jr. and Irene Brown. After graduating from high school, Corey enlisted in the United States Navy as a nuclear electrician's mate. Through matriculation in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program at Florida A&M University, he received a commission as an Ensign in the Navy in August 1993.
Corey Brown retired from the U.S. Navy with 24 years of honorable service in October 2012. Since retiring, Corey has served as an associate minister at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Flowery Branch, GA, and interim pastor at St Luke Church in Gainesville, GA. Rev. Brown likes to tell people that he went from serving God and country to serving God and man. Rev. Brown was very involved in interfaith activism in the Atlanta area for nearly a decade. He marched and protested for civil rights, voting rights, LGBTQIA rights, accountability for law enforcement in officer-involved shootings, ending the death penalty in Georgia, ending the cash bail system, and ending unjust immigrant detention. He endeavors to enhance the spiritual life of everyone he meets. As such, he has written UBUNTU and the Word: A Primer of Afrodiasporan Biblical Rhetoric.
Corey and his wife, Cheryl, currently live in Moultrie, GA with their dogs, Bella and Chloe. He has three children from a previous marriage, Shawn (39), Courtney (30), Cayla (26), and Chris (24).
