Alverno College, for over 135 years, has strived to educate and empower women to realize their leadership, strength of voice and potential to lead in the working world. Alverno’s support of “The Future is Female” continues to showcase and exemplify these efforts by supporting the stories of grit, resilience and strength of character of present, past and future leading women in the Milwaukee community! #AlvernoStrong

Christy L. Brown grew up on Milwaukee's North Side and graduated from Rufus King High School. She left Milwaukee to obtain degrees from Stanford University, Duke University Law School and Duke University Graduate School before returning to the area.

Prior to her role as president of Alverno College, Brown served as CEO of the Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast; Vice Chancellor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Milwaukee Area Technical College; Vice President and Attorney at Lutheran Social Services; and as Associate Attorney at Michael Best law firm.

OnMilwaukee recently had the opportunity to chat with Brown and ask her eight questions based on the "8 Abilities" that all students achieve with an Alverno degree: Communication, Analysis, Problem Solving, Valuing in Decision-Making, Social Interaction, Developing a Global Perspective, Aesthetic Engagement and Effective Citizenship.

1. What does active listening mean to you? Do you consider yourself a good listener, and if so, how has this helped you in your personal and professional relationships? 

Active listening means intentional focus on hearing others, including using nonverbal and other responses to show you hear what is being said. It is also summarizing, paraphrasing and using clarifying questions to help with your understanding of what you hear. It includes, too, not interrupting and waiting to respond once the speaker has completed their thoughts, rather than formulating your responses before they are done.  

I consider myself someone who is always trying to improve my listening skills though I have been told that I am a great listener. I believe it has helped in my professional relationships because co-workers have relayed that they have felt heard, and their opinions considered when important decisions must be made. With personal relationships, especially friends, I have also been told I am a great listener. However, I’m not sure I am as effective of a listener with personal relationships if those include my teenage kids. With them, there are generally more emotions involved – and judgments – and perhaps I am overly concerned about the outcome, so active listening is more difficult. I keep trying though!

2. What was the last subject you were curious about and then pursued to learn more? 

I was curious about what motivates people. How did you pursue it? I listened to a podcast on the Huberman Lab with Andrew Huberman who is a neuroscientist and his guest Robert Greene – an author on human psychology and behavior. I also read the book “Drive – The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us," by Daniel Pink. The book discusses the gap between what science knows about motivation and what companies do to try to motivate employees. Companies usually reward their employees through financial incentives which the book contends may have worked well when routine work was more prevalent. Today, the book theorizes, where the work that people perform often requires more creativity, people are more likely to be motivated through experiencing autonomy in their work, being able to pursue and achieve mastery in their work and working towards or to fulfill a meaningful purpose.

3. If you can’t figure something out yourself, what source or person do you turn to first?

I think the source or person I go to first depends upon what the thing is that I must figure out. I am not usually embarrassed about asking questions, or for help, so certainly the smart people I work with I ask. My mom knows almost everything, so I often go to her, as well as other family members. I have mentors and friends who are wise, I might seek their counsel. As an attorney I like to do research, so the internet and books on Audible often are sources. 

4. What are your personal values? Who and/or what inspired them and how do these values affect your decision-making process? 

My values center around my faith in God, my love for my family and all humanity, and my belief that we are here, through compassion, hard work, to make the world better for everyone, especially those that have been marginalized or disadvantaged in some way. My parents inspired the values I hold, too.

5. Technology and online communication/meetings/social has definitely changed over the years. Do these things help or hinder your growth – or both?  

I think they have the capacity to do both, help and hinder growth. There is so much you can learn and accomplish through technology and online methods. At the same time, I think such tools can distance people from each other. Some research shows that this can lessen the ability for collaboration, creativity, and innovation, which often occur in the workplace outside of formal meetings or settings. Rather, collaboration, creativity and innovation, which spur growth in companies, sometimes occur at the water cooler, in the hallway, or after the formal meeting.

6. Where is the farthest you’ve traveled and what is a thing or two you learned from the experience? And what surprised you? 

The farthest I’ve travelled is to India. I learned that experiencing and learning about new cultures is invigorating and humbling. I was there as part of the Girl Scouts of the USA’s delegation to the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts Conference learning from over 100 countries that were represented. I learned that women and girls in India, and many other countries, are experiencing gender inequities both similar to – and very different from – those of women and girls in the U.S.A.

7. What are your favorite art forms? How do you challenge yourself to actively engage in the arts? 

I like performing arts the best, including dance, music and theater. I am not doing well at the challenge of actively engaging in the arts. I generally am only successful when I accept the offer of a friend to attend a performance.   

8. How do you/your work move Milwaukee forward?  

Because Alverno College provides a transformative educational experience for our students, most of whom are from – and upon graduation stay – in Milwaukee, I believe we are filling the employment pipeline for local employers, as well as helping to strengthen the next generation of leaders for our community. Over 70 percent of our incoming students this past fall were first generation students. With a college education, it is likely that our graduates are improving not only their own quality of life, but that of their immediate and sometimes extended families.