Leilani Brown

1.

As a child, I would go to my mother’s night classes with her, which instilled in me at a young age the knowledge that my family saw college as a means of upward mobility.

2.

Right after college, my intention was to go to law school for no other reason than the fact that my mother wanted me to—but I didn’t get into any of the law schools I applied to.

3.

When I graduated from college, I started working for an insurance company as a production underwriter selling insurance, which really put my relationship management and communication skills to work.

4.

Outside of work, everything I was doing was related to education or workforce development—I realized I was really passionate about inspiring and guiding young people.

5.

I wrote a book called “From Campus to Cubicle” to help give counsel to young people who had missteps after entering the workforce after college.

6.

My experience and interests in education led to a job offer from K12, where I’ve been able to leverage passions as well as my communication, strategy, and relationship management skills.

7.

I’m now a senior vice president at K12, where I get to drive strategic partnerships that will ultimately help more young people have access to educational and workforce opportunities.

8.

In addition, I often speak at events and panels on a range of topics—in 2016, I was recognized as a Woman of Power and Influence by the National Organization of Women (NOW).