Nashville based Dr. Katherine Y. Brown is always on the move and makes balancing a hectic schedule look easy. She begins her day early with prayer and meditation, double-checks her (often always) full day’s schedule making sure her family has what they need to assure a successful day.

Dr. Brown is married with four beautiful children of her own, ages 8, 15, 16 and 25. The importance of family and home front structure doesn’t stop there. Her husband, Irving Brown II, is the proverbial wind beneath her wings and remains supportive of his trailblazing wife through it all. Good, not so good, turbulent or indifferent, Dr. Brown’s strong family ties are indeed an anchor in her effective and important, overall life.

The girls and women in her esteemed Leadership Academy are an extension of her family. Community is quite important to this visionary. She has combined legacy with history, education, grace and talent in efforts to launch another level of present and future greatness. Brown’s vision to expand the leadership capacity of women in preparation for service to the global marketplace of the future includes the Roberta Baines Wheeler Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Group’s mentorship program. The Dr. Katherine Y. Brown Leadership Academy is on a positive trajectory making an impact in the Nashville community and abroad.

“The leadership academy is innovative in its approach to building the capacity of women for global leadership,” said Dr. Brown. “The educational component of the yearlong Cohort experience focuses on developing key competencies that participants can use now and into the future—more importantly they are the competencies that all female leaders share, but for many are late in development.”

The inaugural class of 2016 includes: Sydney Y. K. Brown, Morgan Harvell, Ashley Mimms, Taylor Northington, Josephine Onyeme, Jewell Windrow, and Ashlee Young. They welcomed the 2017 Cohorts, including Bry’nhia  Brazier, Brooke Burgess, Anyah Gilmore-Jones, Sydney Hall, Lindsey Pettis, and Kaiya Porter at a recent leadership retreat and sleepover.

The next morning Dr. Lesia Crumpton Young, vice president, Tennessee State University, proudly facilitated the KYB Leadership Academy vision board session which included a seminar on leadership principles and practice: ‘Responsibilities of Leaders, Characteristics of Leaders, and Common Mistakes of Leaders.’

Additionally, the program includes key components and experiences that provide cohort members with unique opportunities to connect locally and reach out globally for expanded cultural and civic awareness and learning that will contribute their future success in the global marketplace. This year the Leadership Academy will travel internationally to participate in leadership and mentoring. Each participant will learn about mentoring and why it is something they should do throughout their own careers.

“The mission is to educate, train, coach, and mentor ladies with a focus on building skills that contribute to leadership development, civic engagement, and social responsibility,” Brown said. “Our primary focus is to grow and expand the capacity of women leaders to contribute to improved community life.”

To learn more about the Roberta Baines Wheeler Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Group Awareness Group, check out their website:

For additional information on the program or to offer support to the academy contact, Dr. Katherine Y. Brown (312) 623-2433 or www.KYBLeadership.com.  E-mail: Kybleaders@gmail.com .