Tony Brown
Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA)
Los Angeles, CA USA
"I just dream from where I’m at, at whatever the given moment is. But I’m always dreaming."
Career Roadmap
Tony's work combines: Business, Non-Profit Organizations, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
There is the opinion that public schools should be doing the bulk of the work that we do for students. That would be ideal, but waiting for education reforms to reach the populations we serve takes a very long time (if at all). HOLA is part of this solution and I work every day towards the goal of giving students the opportunities they deserve.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Business/Corporate Communications, General
Loyola Marymount University
Graduate Degree
Sports Management/Marketing
The University of Tennessee
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I was raised in Sierra Madre, CA, a small, predominantly white town, where my family was one of only two black families.
2.
My father was a public health doctor and my mother a teacher—I grew up seeing them constantly give back to their community, which served as an example for me to follow for the rest of my life.
3.
Attended Loyola Marymount University (LMU), where I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in communications.
4.
Was heavily influenced by seeing the 1984 Olympics held in Los Angeles, CA—this inspired me to pursue a career in event planning in order to bring everyone together for a common goal.
5.
After a while, I realized I disliked the culture around event planning and decided to start my own company running several successful summer camp programs.
6.
Meanwhile, during the school year, I started teaching across the country and working at Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) to help create athletic and academic enrichment programs for underserved youth.
7.
Decided to attend the University of Tennessee, where I received my master’s degree in sports management/marketing, then began working at Fox Sports Radio and Clear Channel.
8.
Ten years later, I decided to follow my heart back into community service and once again started working for HOLA—I am now the organization’s executive director.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Shouldn't public schools being doing what you do?
How I responded:
There is the opinion that public schools should be doing the bulk of the work that we do for students. That would be ideal, but waiting for education reforms to reach the populations we serve takes a very long time (if at all). HOLA is part of this solution and I work every day towards the goal of giving students the opportunities they deserve.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Growing up, there were very few black people in my town and in my school. I constantly struggled with how I fit in. I've been pulled over and put in handcuffs for rolling through a stop sign and I've been involved in other racially charged conflicts.
I've worked in some environments that felt a little like high school (in a negative way). Some of my experiences were borderline toxic. It can be really challenging to overcome. I had to find where I fit.