Heather M. Jones-Brown

Grinnell College - Grinnell, IA 12/21 - Present

Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator of Human Resources, 12/21 to 08/22

Diversity and Inclusion Specialist for Staff Equity, 09/22 to Present

​

Financial Empowerment Center - Polk County, IA 11/19 - 11/21

Financial Education Coordinator. Manages boot camp programming, small business liaison, marketing.

​

Iowa Sister States - State of Iowa 01/19 - 10/19

Executive Director. Increased state appropriation by $50,000. Doubled participants and created a new strategic partnership for the Citizen Diplomacy Summit. Head of Iowa Delegation to Kosovo in May 2019, meeting with President of Kosovo, Prime Minister of Kosovo, minister of several agencies, US Consulate in Kosovo, General Rama of Kosovo Security Forces, and Adjutant General Tim Orr of the Iowa National Guard. Hosted delegations in Iowa from Ukraine, Japan, China, Senegal, Kosovo, and Italy.

​

DeJear for Iowa - State of Iowa 02/18 - 12/18

Deputy Campaign Manager. 2018 Primary Election win, first African-American nominated by a major party for statewide office in Iowa, raised $800k, increased voter turnout in both elections, engaged hard to reach populations statewide. HR manager.

​

Des Moines Brewery Coffee Company - Des Moines, IA 01/17-01/18

General Manager, HR manager, startup coffee company. Focused on inclusivity in all aspects of the business. Daily business doubled with community events. Combined resources with non-profits and our business to engage the community while increasing sales. Curated presentation,  “Building Truly Inclusive Workspaces,” and presented at New Leaders Council Des Moines and Gravitate Co-Working Space.

​

John R. Grubb YMCA – Des Moines, IA 12/15-01/18

Welcome Center Staff.  Empowered non-native English speakers in their membership journey.

​

Betty Andrews Media - State of Iowa 05/16-02/17                                 

Executive Assistant. Executed programming, marketing, and event execution for three non-profits simultaneously - Iowa-Nebraska NAACP, I’ll Make Me A World In Iowa, and The Iowa Summit on Justice and Disparities.

​

Starbucks Corporation – Johnston, IA 09/15-02/17

Barista Trainer. Raised travel funds for a coworker to visit family in Taiwan.

​

GABA Corporation - Tokyo, Japan 06/11-08/15

Coached instructors to be better and more effective, handled HR matters with international staff. Moved my studio from lower ranked school to higher ranked school in regards to customer service in 6 months. Clients entered university, acquired new jobs, and internships with the assistance of my classes. Clients also gained confidence to travel in English speaking countries. Actor & Host for one of the most downloaded podcasts for English learning in Asia. 

​

Ingram Entertainment Inc.- Des Moines, IA 05/08-05/11

Started social media outlets for Independent Passport program and provided film recommendations for independent video stores.

​

UTOS Network Inc.-Seoul, South Korea/UTOS-USA-Inc.-Liberty, MO 04/07-05/08

Started US branch of company. Created Enterprise fleet account, managed HR for US staff, supervised tutoring program, high school student guardian, coordinator, college prep counselor, high school spring break trip coordinator, long-term host family coordinator, and weekend activity planner. 

​

The Language Company, Liberty, MO 01/07-10/07

Junior Program Coordinator.  Taught all English levels in grammar, vocabulary, reading, & writing monthly.  Managed conflict between staff and students.  Successful educational events for over 60 students. Worked with students from South Korea, Japan, and Central America.

​

William Jewell College, Liberty, MO 09/03-04/06

Tele-counselor to prospective students – provided insight about the college.

​

Riverfront YMCA, Des Moines, IA 11/99-01/05, 08/08-06/11

Lifeguard, Swim Instructor, Deck Supervisor, Childcare Assistant, Aquatics Coordinator Assistant, and Aquatics Coordinator.  Created a positive working environment and had successful swim lesson programs each summer.