Janice M. Brown Ed.D. awarded YWCA’s 2021 Lifetime Woman of Achievement
It is with great pleasure that we celebrate Janice M. Brown, Ed.D. as the recipient of the 2021 YWCA Lifetime Woman of Achievement Award in recognition of her outstanding leadership and tireless efforts in education and at all levels within the community. Janice's passion and dedication to improved learning for all students and desire to change the human condition make her a worthy candidate for this prestigious honor.
Starting out in the field of social work, Janice soon found a special liking for children with special needs and became a teacher. She received her master’s in education from Michigan State University and her doctorate from Indiana University. As a couple, Janice and her husband Ed found their way from Grand Rapids to Indiana, to East Lansing, landing in Kalamazoo in 1997. Leading to a long legacy in education in Kalamazoo.
Janice began her work in Kalamazoo Public Schools as Executive Director of Curriculum Planning and Innovation; she laid the foundation for a Curriculum Framework that aligns curriculum, assessment, and professional development. Janice also served at the Director of Magnet Programs and Recruitment. Overseeing the development of four magnet schools, she worked with the Kalamazoo Public Schools’ staff in conjunction with contractors, engineers, and architects while maintaining records for a multi-million-dollar project. The work culminated in all four of the schools receiving outstanding magnet schools awards from the International Magnet Schools Association. Janice’s track record made her the immediate choice of the Board of Education to become Superintendent in 2000.
Janice’s first commitment is to the children of Kalamazoo. To that end she began by providing open lines of communication with staff, parents, community members, and organizations as well as students. In her first two years as Superintendent, Janice received a 98% approval rating. Using that endorsement, she took to the task of bringing the Board, administrative team and staff into one focus- high levels of literacy for all students. For her work as Superintendent, Janice was named Region VII Superintendent of the Year by the Michigan Association of School Administrators.
Photo Courtesy of MLive.com
Recognizing the importance of tending to the whole child, she worked with the City of Kalamazoo to establish Kalamazoo Communities In Schools Foundation, which combined the Kalamazoo Area Academic Achievement Program, Kalamazoo Public Education Foundation, and Communities in Schools in to one organization. Communities In Schools is still in place today serving 11,000 students.
In 2000, Janice received the Citizen of the Year award from the Kalamazoo Westside Kiwanis. The following year she received the Freedom Award at the NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet for her support and fight for racial freedom and equality and was also a finalist for the Annual Women of Achievement and Courage Award from the Michigan Women’s Foundation. In May 2003, Janice received the Teacher of The Year award from Phi Delta Kappa and was also awarded for the district’s continuing participation and support of the health care professions from the Kalamazoo Health Professions Partnership Initiative. In 2006, Janice was humbled to receive the YWCA Woman of Achievement Award. Brown is also a recipient of the Michigan State University Crystal Apple award as well as The ATHENA Leadership Award which is presented to a woman ---or man--- who’s professional excellence and community service has actively assisted women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills. All of these awards have not changed Janice’s focus on quality education and improving the student experience.
Photo courtesy of USA Today
The culminating moment of Janice’s career was the preparation and unveiling of The Kalamazoo Promise in November 2005, a universal scholarship program that has transformed Kalamazoo Public Schools, changed the lives of thousands of individuals, and launched a national movement on college access and affordability. Since the scholarship’s unveiling, The Kalamazoo Promise has awarded over $150,000,000 to over 8,000 students. One of the most important impacts of the Promise has been to reverse the school district's decades-long slide in enrollment. Over the past 14 years, the enrollment in Kalamazoo Public Schools grew by 25 percent, bringing new financial resources into the district and leading to the construction of two new schools-the first schools to be opened in Kalamazoo in almost 40 years. The Promise has also intensified efforts by KPS to create a strong college-going culture that reaches every student in the K-12 system. Beyond its impact on human capital and the educational system, The Kalamazoo Promise is a catalyst for economic growth and development for Kalamazoo’s urban core and larger region.
Since officially retiring from The Promise in 2013, Janice has actively focused on work at the national level by advocating and advising for place-based scholarship programs like The Promise around the country. Inspired by The Kalamazoo Promise, Promise communities have grown to over 50, plus statewide programs in Tennessee and Oregon. They range in size from Northport, MI- population 526- to Pittsburgh, PA- population 305,842- and are delivering what they promised- more college attendance and completion, plus a talented workforce that helps to grow the economy. Janice has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Katie Couric Show, ABC, The Today Show, CNN, Good Morning America, The New York Times, and most recently on behalf of The Kalamazoo Promise in The Christian Science Monitor.
Janice currently serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees for The Kalamazoo Promise and continues to be the sole contact with the donors. Janice also serves and/or has served on the boards of Communities In Schools Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Community Healing Centers, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Kalamazoo Air Zoo, The Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, and serves on various statewide committees under the No Child Left Behind Act.
Janice continues to be influential to the economic development and community transformation of Kalamazoo and knows that this transformation will take generations and there is a lot of work to be done. Asking Janice, how do you do it? She answers, “I love what I do!”
She is an example not only for other women in the community; she is a shining example for anyone who chooses to be a leader. She is dedicated, selfless and full of the willingness to always share her time and wisdom to make children's lives better.
Janice’s lifetime record of achievement and service to education, children and her community is overwhelming. She is most deserving to receive the YWCA Lifetime Women of Achievement Award.
The 2021 YWCA Women of Achievement awards celebration will take place virtually May 13th, 2021 at 6pm EST. Reserve your virtual seat today by clicking below.
