Meet Joanna Brown

On the initial call, I asked, ‘How will I communicate with the BeadWORKS staff in Kenya?’ and the TNC volunteer at the time told me I would need to live there for a year!” says Joanna. Her business acumen, honed while running an independent bookshop in Colorado, and keen interest in elephants, rhinos and other African wildlife made her the right fit for the job, and after discussing it with her family, she set out for this new challenge.

Joanna picked up from where her BeadWORKS volunteer predecessor, former Minnesota trustee and fellow Legacy Club member Anne Knapp, had left off. Thanks in large part to the dedication of these two women, the number of retail outlets that carry BeadWORKS handicrafts in the U.S., Canada and Europe multiplied from five to 65 in four years. “I was honored to lift up the talents of women to help them support their families, their communities and the environments that sustain them,” says  Joanna. “From those to whom much is given, much is expected. This important work will carry on—through my four children and through my bequest to TNC.”

Joanna Brown’s support transcends place and time. She is enabling meaningful conservation today through her volunteer service in Kenya and a leadership gift to TNC’s Last Great Places Society. She also became a member of The Legacy Club when she named TNC as a beneficiary in her estate plan.