WESST Blog
20 Years of Support and Service – Thank You Julie Brown!
By Katie Knipe | October 10, 2022
Longtime WESST donor and volunteer Julienne “Julie” Brown calls herself a “Jersey Girl,” but she’s lived all over! Julie went to school in New York City where she met her husband, John, and they’ve lived in Colorado, Philadelphia, a boat (yes, they lived on a boat!) and eventually, they landed in New Mexico.
Julie was introduced to WESST in the early 2000s. Not long after arriving in New Mexico, John hit it off with WESST founder Carol Radosevich, John invited Carol and her partner to join them for a week on the Brown’s boat! Julie described them as the best houseguests ever, and throughout the trip, Carol kept saying “You have to join the Board at WESST!” The rest is history. Julie has been involved with WESST as a generous contributor, board member and WESST Loan Fund Committee member for nearly 20 years.
Julie has many years of entrepreneurial experience. For a while, she taught cooking classes to stay at home moms and authored a cookbook you can still find online, The Brown Adobe Sampler: For a Taste of New Mexico. John, a Native New Mexican, passed along a salsa recipe that Julie mastered and shared with her community, who had never tasted such authentic salsa! Julie’s salsa was a hit and eventually, she grew this hobby into a successful business in Philadelphia. “Eventually it took over the house with jars, onions and other ingredients all over!” Julie acquired a historic mansion in her community where she was able to spread out and take her salsa production to the next level.
They eventually sold the business, and upon moving to New Mexico, Julie found that she was able to spread the knowledge she acquired through her years of running her own business. Julie has been an amazing friend to WESST through her contributions and volunteerism, and her heartfelt support of WESST’s small business clients. Julie was instrumental in the Capital Campaign to support the construction of the WESST Enterprise Center. After 20 years of serving on WESST’s Loan Fund Committee, Julie is stepping down to focus on retirement and travelling with John.
Thank you, Julie, for all your support and service over the years!
About the Author
Katie Knipe
Katie Knipe is the VP of Development for WESST and has worked in nonprofit management and arts administration for the past decade. She has dedicated her career to fundraising for organizations whose missions fuel her fire, including those who promote classical music performance and who serve people experiencing homelessness.