Although part of William Brown's heritage is Native American, he was born overseas and his first language was a German dialect. His experience includes positions in Germany, Japan, and Switzerland with the Experiment in International Living and its School for International Training. At CDS International in New York, he directed the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals and the Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship Program. At the University of Illinois, he was associate director of the Study Abroad Office and most recently program manager of the Austria-Illinois Exchange Program.

His research interests are in second language acquisition, testing, and education abroad. Recent national conference presentations include ACTFL, CIBER, Forum on Education Abroad, and NAFSA.