Yvonne Brown

	Threads~ By A. W. Bolden
Yvonne F. Brown, President & CEO, Ball of Gold Corporation

Introduction: Yvonne F. Brown is President of Ball of Gold Corporation a consulting, training and coaching firm. She is a seasoned professional, who provides full life cycle management of enterprise-wide systems and client management techniques for Fortune 500 Companies. Ms. Brown has a proven track record in the management of projects utilizing a myriad of platforms and environments. Ms. Brown is also an Instructor of Consulting Excellence, Knowledge Management and Corporate Portals at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

With excellent project management skills Ms. Brown has managed international projects with diverse teams located in Italy, England, India and the Philippines. She was responsible for development and implementation of the competency based employee evaluation, as well as, training, hiring and managing of employees in multiple offices nationally. In addition, Ms. Brown developed the key messages and strategies for the visioning sessions of a major consulting firm.

Prior to founding Ball of Gold Corporation, Ms. Brown exhibited a proven track record as a skilled and versatile businesswoman. She was Senior Consultant for a Big 5 corporation and a Managing Consultant for several major professional services firms. Her substantial background provides her clients with a wealth of best practices experience in varied industries. She has delivered large-scale complex systems initiatives to consistency, with a high degree of end-user satisfaction.

To ensure that her client's business requirements are met and/or exceeded, Ms. Brown utilizes project management methodologies certified by the Project Management Institute, characterized by strong management, cross cultural communication, and interpersonal skills.

Ms. Brown is also equipped with eCommerce, Business to Business and Business to Employee experiential knowledge that she uses to help companies take advantage of today’s rapidly changing technology environment.

Ms. Brown graduated with distinction from DePaul University with a B.A. degree in Computer Science and Information Management.

The Yvonne F. Brown Interview

A.W.: It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. May I call you Yvonne? Tell us about your background. Where did you grow up? Where did you attend elementary and high school?

Yvonne: (Smiles) yes, of course you may call me Yvonne. I was born in Kingston, Jamaica and grew up there. I went to Catholic schools from kindergarten through high school. My high school, Immaculate Conception High is located in Constant Springs and I won a scholarship to attend. It is an international boarding school, so, I was essentially in a global village from the start. Girls exclusively attended the high school. Subsequently, I didn’t have a lot of interaction with boys. So, I was pretty much sheltered. I was chaperoned to all events and was a member of the glee club. We did not have television in Jamaica at that time. I am convinced that the experience forced me to concentrate on possibilities and opportunities.

I was raised by my grandmother who we called “Gong-gong” and she raised me to believe that “I could do anything I put my mind to.” She also told me that some careers can only be done while young, and so I should pursue it while I am able. It is a shame to look back on one’s life and say, “I could have, I would have, and I should have.” Consequently, or because of this, I have had multiple careers.

I have enjoyed careers such as fashion modeling, after attending the John Robert Powers modeling school. I was a singer in several rock and roll bands whose music still gets played on the “oldies” station. I was a member of a local Chicago band called “The New Colony Six.” Eventually, I moved into the digital world when PCs came on the scene and have worked with technology now for the last 19 years.

I came to the US at age 17. Then I set out to achieve the American dream. In Jamaica they say, “in America the streets are paved with gold”. I’ve always believed that saying, and because of that belief, I see the possibilities available. It has helped me to recognize and pursue opportunities available in the US.

A.W.: Impressive, Yvonne. I do remember the New Colony Six and John Robert Powers modeling school. What is your education and employment history?

Yvonne: I have an Associate in Applied Science degree with a major in Computer Science from the College of DuPage. I also have a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Management and Computer Science from DePaul University.

Over the past 19 years I have worked with several professional services firms, including Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), CBSI, and most recently with The Revere Group. I was employed at The First National Bank of Chicago (First Chicago) at the time of their merger with The National Bank of Detroit (now Bank One) and have also worked in the retail, manufacturing, leisure services and banking industries.

A.W.: You seem to have experience with companies in the midst of transition. Yvonne, identify the key event, which had the most impact in your career decision?

Yvonne: Several events had major impact on my career decision. When computers first came on the scene, I noticed that there were pages of want ads in the Chicago Tribune for word processor positions. I went to school in the evenings to gain those skills and that is how I entered the technology industry. While working as a Business Systems Analyst for a local real estate developer, I became fascinated with how a consultant took business problem definitions and converted them into software applications. He became my mentor and I decided to study to be a programmer. I leveraged the position of programmer to Business Analyst, Architect and Project Manager and thus found success in the technology arena.

When the merger between First Chicago and NBD occurred, I moved into consulting and continued to use my problem solving skills as a consultant and business owner.

I was downsized several times and developed a methodology to rebound from its effects. I noticed that each time I was downsized, it turned into the best thing that ever happened to me. One morning while preparing for work about a year ago, I heard the newsman say that 40,000 jobs had been cut from one company. I became irritated that these companies would simply cut jobs and forget about the people who were affected by their business decision. Don’t get me wrong; I understand that there was usually a sound (sic) business reason for job cuts. It’s just that we never heard about what happened to the people after the job cuts happened. I know from personal experience that one’s self-esteem takes a hit during these times. I also learned from colleagues that some people do not rebound quickly from the experience. That morning I started my company to help the downsized. I used my skills to develop a methodology that could be easily implemented to quickly rebound from the downsizing experience. Currently, job cuts are a daily occurrence; downsizing is simply another change management issue for the corporate employee.

After my most recent downsizing, I decided to dedicate myself full time to delivering this methodology through Ball of Gold Corporation (BoG). Now, there are many companies that provide outplacement services to companies that downsize. But I haven’t seen a service that addresses’ downsizing to career professionals, as our methodology delivers. My motto from John W. Gardner is: “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems.”

Professional

A.W.: So Ball of Gold flourishes during the recession. Interesting. Tell me Yvonne, what is your role at your place of employment?

Yvonne: I am focused on sales and marketing of BoG. I present workshops and seminars to individuals and corporations. Readers can learn more about these workshops by sending an email to yfbrown@ballofgold.com and referencing BDPA.

A.W.: What are some of the most interesting projects you have worked?

Yvonne: I worked on a global project for a major engineering firm where the team members were located in Milan, Italy; Guilford, England; and various locations in the United States. I had to access the computer in Milan and the system language was in Italian. It was necessary to evaluate the system by translating the Italian and make recommendations to my client. The team in England was equally interesting because their communication style is different from ours in the US. While collaboration with the US regional staff was somewhat simpler, I was called upon to use my diplomatic communication skills to acquire the information needed to successfully complete the project.

On another project that was Year2000 related, again as a consultant, I collaborated with a team in India to do analysis and development work on a system located in downtown Chicago. It was a win-win for both the client and the team. While we slept in the US, a team in India was busy working on the analysis and development necessary to bring the system into Year2000 compliance. This meant that the project was active 24-hours a day and since we were working against a fixed delivery date, the project moved ahead rapidly. In this instance, due of the cultural difference between the American and Indian styles of communication and the Indian style of communication, it was necessary to use my diversity and cross cultural management skills to achieve project success.

A third project required navigation of a corporate culture committed to diversity and political correctness while working with a project team that consisted of ALL internal employees. As the sole outsider, my responsibilities included project management, leadership, and guidance to the team. In addition, the development effort was outside my span of control, since a third party vendor was responsible for the customizations and deliverables. This project required diversity, organizational development, cross-cultural and leadership skills.

While all of the projects were successful, it exemplifies the critical success factors required for consultants. BoG Corporation also delivers a workshop called “Consulting Excellence”. The workshop provides direction and insight for the aspiring consultant.

A.W.: A well-rounded traveler! Yvonne, where do you see your career in the next 5 years?

Yvonne: Over the next 5 years, I see Ball of Gold Corporation fulfilling and exceeding the needs of satisfied corporate clients.

I also see BoG helping a many individuals recognize that “every adversity bears within it the seeds of an equivalent or greater benefit” through our workshop called “Harness The Power Of Your Inner Voice”.

I will have published two books: “10 Power Points to Self Creation” that I am currently writing, and a book for high schools called “Let’s be more like Frederick Douglas.” This second book shows how to turn adversity into opportunity, and how to turn failure into success. I want to show the students that success begins with opportunity but you must be able to see the opportunity. I believe today’s high school students can achieve or surpass the feats similar in magnitude to Frederic Douglas’. The book for high schools is already written. Currently, I am seeking investment capital to finance publishing costs.

BDPA

A.W.: Discuss your relationship with BDPA.

Yvonne: I recently became affiliated with BDPA through Marge Hilson (Marketing Director). We met at a business-networking meeting. I will be writing articles for the BDPA newsletter “The Professional” beginning with the next issue.

A.W.: Where do you see BDPA’s service niche?

Yvonne: BDPA is doing a great job of helping African Americans in technology to enhance their careers with education and knowledge through conferences. I commend BDPA in their efforts to assist young people in their quest to enter the field of technology. By delivering training classes in Chicago, BDPA is doing its part to bridge the Digital Divide.

A.W.: As a speaker, writer, and trainer, how would you help BDPA take its membership numbers to the next level?

Yvonne: To bring their numbers to the next level, BDPA could raise the level of awareness of the organization through continued press releases as they continue to penetrate the marketplace through alliances and relationships with other companies and individuals.

Yvonne Brown reflects on her experiences at the BDPA 23^rd National Conference.

“The experience was excellent. I found the August BDPA national conference to be well planned and executed. As a presenter, the quality of the seminar offerings was outstanding. I learned much from the ones I attended. I had the opportunity to connect with attendees and other business owners from all over the country. The attendees who took my class were very knowledgeable. They shared their knowledge management (KM) experiences with the other attendees. Everyone walked away from the seminar with real world examples of this business process. KM is being implemented in government and the private sector. It was a great conference, and I look forward to present at next year's conference”.

A.W.: We are looking forward to that article. Besides BDPA, what are some additional community and organizational affiliations?

Yvonne: Editor’s note: Ms. Brown is Past Treasurer of The Omni User Group, Youth Motivational Speaker for Chicago Public High Schools, Business Volunteer for The Arts for Arts and Business Council, member of Organizational Development Network, National Association of Female Executives, and The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations.

Personal

A.W.: If time/money were not an object, what would you be doing?

Text Box: Yvonne: No question, Social anthropology. I love to travel. So far, I have visited various cities in Italy, Spain, Portugal, and most recently Austria. In each of these locations, I found the country’s culture to be very fascinating. The definition of success differs than that of America.

On my trips to Italy, Spain and Portugal I experienced the architectural remnants of the Moors. They were a 14^th century people, who conquered Europe, and subsequently left their influence. Today, many of those locations that embrace the Moorish architecture have integrated it into their own culture. In Spain for example, the Moorish Moshe is such an inherent part of the culture that people don’t say, “I went to church”, they say “I went to the Moshe today” instead. The Alahambra in Granada, Spain (pictured above) is a tribute to Moorish architecture.

A.W.: What are some of your hobbies and personal aspirations?

Yvonne: I enjoy reading, research, theatre, travel and fine dining. I love to experience the new restaurants and cultural dishes in Chicago. I visit the bookstore weekly. I regularly purchase and read at least one book a week. I conduct extensive research for the classes I teach at the University of Illinois – at Chicago (UIC) professional development program.

My personal aspiration is to motivate people for success.

Of course I plan make BoG a successful organization as well.

I help corporations deal with the people aspect of technology, including collaboration with business users and change management. I also provide guidance to business owners on strategic initiatives, relative to KM, consulting excellence, and technology solutions.

I want to share with individuals who seek to achieve the American dream. As someone who arrived in the US, I’ve created my own methodology to achieve of the American dream. I believe I have something to share with others in this area.

Another aspiration is to empower high school students to high self-esteem and motivate them to attend college. It will help to bridge the gap in the Digital Divide. They can then achieve career success in a professionally. In my opinion, bridging the Digital Divide does not really seem difficult. I would like to demonstrate the means of that achievement to high school students.

Finally I want to awaken the downsized to realize that the job cut, when viewed from a different perspective, is the best thing that ever happened to them.

A.W.: Thank you for your time, Yvonne. How do our readers contact you?

Yvonne: I can be contacted at: Ball of Gold Corporation, 3180 N. Lake Shore Drive, Suite 8F, Chicago, IL 60657, Phone: 312/953-2126, Fax: 773/327-3238 Email at yfbrown@ballofgold.com Please reference BDPA in the subject.

Editor's note: Ms. Brown provided this profile in January, before her Wednesday, February 7, 2001 appearance on BDPA TV, Cable Access Network Channel 21 (CAN-21) in Chicago. Since that time, she has worked diligently at the University of Illinois at Chicago to develop deliver the Knowledge Management for online eBusiness eCommerce Certificate. She is currently writing a book titled is "Self Creation - 10 Powerful Principles for Changing Your Life” that is scheduled for release the end of this year. She recently the edited a book on etiquette for Global Protocol www.globalprotocol.com, www.workalive.com for WorkAlive! and is the newsletter editor for the National Speaker's Association www.NSA-IL.org. Ms. Brown also presented a seminar titled “The Secrets of Knowledge Management at the BDPA 23^rd National Conference in Chicago. In upcoming months, Ms. Brown’s calendar includes appearances at "Project World" at the Lakeside Center at McCormick Place on 9/13/01, at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in Taft 120 at the "Thursday Business Forum" on 9/20/01, and at the "CEO Conference" at the Westin O'Hare in Rosemont on 11/2/01. Please contact Ball of Gold and www.ballofgold.com for up to date information.