Virginia Tech® home

Cmdr. Nate Brown

Deputy Commandant of Cadets

Commander Nate Brown ’98, U.S. Navy (retired)  is deputy commandant of cadets for 2nd Battalion.

Cmdr. Brown graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in political science and minors in leadership studies and history in 1998. He was a member of Golf Company his freshman and sophomore years, Foxtrot Company his junior year, and Echo Company his senior year.

Upon graduation, he was commissioned in the U.S. Navy and served on active duty for 23 years as a surface warfare officer.

Sea duty assignments included damage control assistant, USS Elrod (FFG 55); navigator, USS Gettysburg (CG 64); chief engineer, USS Porter (DDG 78); chief engineer, USS San Jacinto (CG 56); and executive officer, USS Ramage (DDG 61).

Ashore, Cmdr. Brown served as a Naval ROTC instructor at Virginia Military Institute, staff officer on the Chief of Naval Operations Staff at the Pentagon, operational planner at Naval Forces Central Command/Fifth Fleet, maritime planner at the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, and maritime planner/training officer at Second Fleet.

Cmdr. Brown earned master’s degrees from Troy University and the U.S. Naval War College. He is a graduate of the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Advanced Warfare School. 

Before becoming a deputy commandant, Cmdr. Brown served as the alumni director for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets from December 2021 to September 2024.