Director, Community Interest Research Centre (CIRC)

Felicha Downie-Brown is a Youth and Community Professional with expertise in CIC governance, quality assurance, programme development, and community-led practice. She brings over a decade of experience managing services across the public and voluntary sectors, alongside more than five years specialising in youth and community work.

At CIRC, Felicha supports on the practical application of community research, training, and mentoring. Her work centres on equity, community voice, and ensuring that research is not something done to communities but shaped with them. She supports emerging and established community groups to professionalise their structures, strengthen their governance, and use evidence and lived experience confidently to advocate for themselves.

Felicha’s approach is rooted in her belief that communities hold the knowledge needed to influence systems, policy, and practice. Through her training and mentoring, she equips community researchers and organisations with the skills to design and deliver research that is accessible, ethical, and impactful. Her expertise ensures that CIRC’s work remains grounded in real-world experience while complementing the Centre’s academic strengths.

Beyond CIRC, Felicha is the Founder and Managing Director of Niyyah Community Enterprise CIC, where she develops and delivers youth programmes and supports grassroots organisations across the Midlands with capacity-building, governance, and programme evaluation. She also contributes nationally as an External Examiner at Birmingham City University, Liverpool John Moores University and as a Wider Field Representative for the National Youth Agency’s Education Training Standards Sub-Committee.