McCarthy-Brown has been an active performer, choreographer and educator for the past fifteen years. Originally from San Francisco, her love for dance developed at her community recreation center, and later at the School of the Arts High School. She has recently been commissioned to collaborate and perform with Bharatanatyam dancer, Tanya Saxena in New Delhi, India, at the American Center. In 2016 she presented a new work at the 92nd street Y, in New York City, mentored by Doug Varone, followed by another work, Twoness, presented in New York in 2017, in collaboration with Gregory King. McCarthy-Brown has performed for South African President Thabo Mbeki while performing throughout South Africa with singing artist Tu Nokwe.

Her first book, Dance Pedagogy for a Diverse World: Culturally Relevant Teaching in Research, Theory, and Practice, was released in 2017. The book was greatly informed by her teaching dance in the public schools, private studios, universities and in the community. McCarthy-Brown’s scholarship is interdisciplinary and always relates to heightened understandings of cultural diversity. She has published work in the Journal of African American Studies, the Journal of Dance Education and Arts Education Policy Review. 

Additionally, she regularly presents her research in the area of dance education and equity at national conferences. She has conducted research on the experiences of African American ballet dancers and is working on her second book about women of color in ballet.