BOWIE, MD, July 19, 2024 - Karen A. Brown has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Ms. Brown is a distinguished professional with a robust career in business leadership and mentorship. She currently serves as the chief executive officer and founder of One Karen Brown, a position she has held since 2018. In this role, she is dedicated to working with women of color, helping them overcome barriers and scale their businesses to seven figures without experiencing burnout. Her commitment to empowering others is evident through her efforts to advance her own career while simultaneously uplifting other women and providing them with opportunities to grow professionally.
Ms. Brown's professional career began in her area of interest, pension administration, with an internship as a junior administrator and trust accountant at Automated Retirement Plans Inc. in 1998. She then transitioned to Uniglobal Pension Planning Inc., where she served as a compliance specialist and senior benefits analyst from 1998 to 2002. After completing her tenure there, she joined Snyder Cohn as a senior pension administrator, further honing her expertise in pension administration, which led to her interest in health and welfare administration.
With a robust career in benefits administration and trust fund management, Karen A. Brown has demonstrated exceptional growth and expertise, transitioning seamlessly from managing a multiple employer welfare arrangement fund to overseeing a Taft-Hartley health and welfare trust fund.
Ms. Brown's journey began as the Benefits Trust Director at the Center for Nonprofit Advancement from 2003 to 2018, where she managed a multiple employer welfare arrangement (MEWA) fund. In this role, she honed her skills in financial oversight, regulatory compliance, and strategic benefits planning, ensuring that diverse employer groups received comprehensive health and welfare benefits. Her ability to navigate the complexities of MEWA funds laid a strong foundation for her future endeavors.
Driven by a passion for continuous learning and professional growth, Ms. Brown expanded her expertise by transitioning to managing a Taft-Hartley health and welfare trust fund from 2018-2023. This role presented new challenges and opportunities, requiring an in-depth understanding of collective bargaining agreements, unionized workforce dynamics, and fiduciary responsibilities. Ms. Brown excelled in this environment, applying her extensive knowledge and skills to ensure the trust fund operated with the highest standards of integrity and efficiency.
The transition from MEWA to Taft-Hartley management allowed Ms. Brown to deepen her expertise in employee benefits and broaden her impact on the well-being of union members. Her strategic approach to benefits administration and her dedication to fiduciary excellence have solidified her reputation as a trusted leader in the field.
She started her consulting business for small women business owners in 2018 alongside running the Taft-Hartley Welfare Trust Fund. Her extensive experience culminated in the founding of One Karen Brown, where she continues to mentor women and consult on business strategies. In 2023, she decided to transition her all of her time to serving women of color business owners.
Providing her with a strong foundation for her roles in financial management and benefits administration, Ms. Brown's educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Marymount University, earned in 1998. She also holds several certifications, including as a licensed Employee Health Benefits Associate from AHIP and a Certified Hello Seven Coach from Hello Seven.
Ms. Brown's dedication extends beyond her professional life into civic engagement through volunteering in her community and teaching entrepreneurship to young women. She has also authored two workbooks: "Princess, Build Your Empire" and "Women Build Their Own Tables," which are practical guides for aspiring entrepreneurs. She has also created the Hire to Scale Blueprint to help solopreneurs transition to CEOs with a 90-day roadmap to hire their first dream team.
The Garden Collective recognized Ms. Brown's contributions, honoring her for her efforts in community building and mentorship. She attributes her success to taking risks, continuously learning, and not allowing fear to control her actions. She also credits her mentors: Antoinette Kelly, who gave her the opportunity to enter her field, and her mother, who worked tirelessly to overcome many adversities and taught her about being in service to others.
Outside of her career, Ms. Brown enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, reading and walking in nature. Looking ahead, she aims to help many women build sustainable businesses, work more with young entrepreneurs and integrate her business workbooks into school systems. Additionally, she also plans to collaborate with venture capitalists to ensure they see a solid return on their investment by implementing a strategic hiring plan, the Hire to Scale Blueprint. This plan provides companies with key performance metrics and actionable steps to scale with the right teams over 12 months.
About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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