Chief Walt Brown's Bio
Bio / Vitae
Chief Walter D. “Red Hawk” Brown, III is the elected Chief of The Cheroenhaka
[Che-ro-en-ha-ka ] (Nottoway) Indian Tribe, Southampton County, Virginia. Chief “Red Hawk” Brown was born in Southampton County. He is a Southampton County elected official and currently serves on the Southampton County Board of Supervisors. In 2003, he became his party’s choice, he ran for Virginia State Senate, but lost. In 2004, He was elected as a 4th Congressional District Alternate Delegate to the Republican Nation Convention in New York. He attended as one of 30 Native American delegates.
Chief Brown is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel, having served 28 years on active duty. He has held many commands and leadership positions in the United States and Overseas. He has served extensive tours of duty in Germany, Greece, Turkey, Korea, and Japan. He is also a Vietnam and Desert Storm Era Veteran. Chief Walt “Red Hawk” Brown is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the American Legion and Disabled Veterans (DAV). He also serves on the Executive Board for the STOP Program and the Executive Board of the Western Tidewater Senior Services Program. He is also a Baptist Minister and currently serves as Associate Pastor of Diamond Grove Baptist Church, Franklin, VA.
Chief Brown was a senior at Norfolk State University when drafted by the U. S. Army. While on active duty he attended the University of Maryland and the State University of N.Y., earning a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree in Social Science in 1976. He also earned a Masters of Science (M.S.) Degree in Logistics Management from Florida Institute of Technology in 1983.
Chief Brown is a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College; the US Army’s Race
Relations Discussion Leaders Course, and the Department of Defense Project Management Course. He has taught at the National Defense University’s Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk Virginia, and also JROTC in the Wythe County Public School System having responsibility for three high schools. In 1999 and 2000, he served as Census 2000 Manager for all of Virginia’s Congressional District # 4 having responsibility for 7 cites and 11 counties.
Chief Brown was elected Chief of the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe, Southampton County, Virginia in 2002 and again in 2006. He has four children: Kisha “Red Fern” Brown-Richards; Chris “Two Wolves” Brown; Felicia “Moon Flower” Brown and David “Slow Turtle” Brown
The Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe Annual Pow Wow & Gathering is on the 4th weekend of July at the Southampton County Fairgrounds, Courtland, VA. It is a celebration of the “Green Corn Harvest” – Key-to-ok-ney (Harvest Time).