Alexis Brown: Promoting the Community She Calls Home

Over time Brown realized that the idea of going to college after high school graduation didn’t appeal to her. Instead, she decided to work towards her public relations aspirations close to home.

At the age of 15, she took her first job and eventually learned the agricultural industry from the business side. She worked at Imperial Compost (a division of the Dune Company) and learned state regulations as a compost analyst.

After graduating from BUHS, she was training horses when someone suggested she run for Cattle Call Rodeo Queen.

“That experience gave me the confidence and knowledge to continue on to the next chapter of my life,” Brown says.

Later, she went to work for the Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation, her beginning in the professional public relations realm.

“The first day on the job, I had to polish 375 glass paper weights. I was thinking, are they serious? We had an event in two days and I hated every one of those glass weights,” Brown admits.

But in the next year and a half, Brown’s love and knowledge of the Valley’s history would make her indispensable.

From the moment former coworker and now friend Jennifer Jaime met her, she knew Brown was dedicated to the Valley like no one else.

“When we worked together at IVEDC, some people would have to brush up on their knowledge of the Valley before a trade show,” Jaime says. “Alexis (Brown) knew it inside and out.”

Brown specifically has a passion for the agricultural base of the Valley’s economy and for the numerous valuable resources the region has to offer.

“I love being an ambassador for the community, and at trade shows I was able to represent and talk to people about the Valley. All the experience I picked up along the way came together during that job,” Brown notes.

Jaime says that when she started as an intern at IVEDC, Brown was an amazing mentor.

“We have a special bond that you have with somebody when you’re from the Valley. It’s not something everybody grows up with. It’s that small-town connection,” Jaime says.

Most recently, Alexis has moved on to become the event coordinator and administrative assistant at the Brawley Chamber of Commerce. The new position represents the culmination of her passion for community and events like Cattle Call finally merging into the next chapter of her life.

“I have a vision for the chamber and the information we should have at hand to promote the community and the businesses our city offers. I hope to see that continue to grow,” Brown says.

But as professional as Brown is, Jaime says she is also very down to earth.

“She’s such a strong woman, she knows what she wants out of life,” Jaime adds. “She can put on her lipstick at work and dirty cowgirl boots on the weekend.”

Despite her professional role, Brown agrees that some things haven’t changed as she has grown from a young woman to burgeoning professional.

“My friends and I still hang out and do things we did in high school. The fishing is good right now,” she says with a laugh.

She has been known to ride along in her boyfriend’s tractor when the harvests run into the midnight hour, something she used to do with her father.