Rebecca Brown
Chief Operating Officer
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MBA
University of South Florida, Sarasota, MEd
University of South Florida, Tampa, MLS
University of South Florida, Tampa, BA
email: rebecca.brown [at] sonomaacademy.org
phone: (707) 636-2462
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MBA
University of South Florida, Sarasota, MEd
University of South Florida, Tampa, MLS
University of South Florida, Tampa, BA
email: rebecca.brown [at] sonomaacademy.org
phone: (707) 636-2462
Rebecca began her career in the classroom; she taught language arts, social studies, and theater at the middle school and high school levels in Florida. After years of teaching, she became interested in assisting with the technology that was proliferating throughout the education system. Working with tech in an education setting led her to get a Master’s in Library Science, and following that, she took a position as a technology trainer, helping teachers integrate new technology systems and media into their curricula throughout the state. The travel was exciting, but Rebecca found herself wanting to get back to the classroom, and she found her way to a novel program at an alternative school that allowed students to complete high school requirements in the morning and then learn a trade in the afternoons.
When Rebecca’s family relocated to Warsaw, Poland, she was initially planning to work in the library at a school there. “I was very lucky to have a supervisor who was very committed to empowering women,” she says. The school was in the process of hiring a new Director of Finance and Operations, and although Rebecca had not held this role in the past, she had been assisting her husband with his business for many years. “I told him that they would need an Interim Director, and I asked him to give me a shot,” she says. “I went through a long interview process, and at the end, it came down to me and one other candidate who had an accounting background. When they hired me, it came down to this: the accounting side of the position can be taught, but understanding the culture of schools is much more important. I get schools, and I love schools.”
This role turned out to be a perfect fit for Rebecca’s unique combination of analytical skills, attention to detail, and ability to think creatively. She went on to work on the business side of education in Cairo, Egypt and several schools in Chicago before learning about the opening at Sonoma Academy. “My husband and I had sworn we’d never live in California, but when we learned that the job was in Sonoma County, we both got really excited,” she says. Since she started here in 2018, she has enjoyed the immense variety of tasks that her job encompasses. “I have never been bored, working here!” she says. “There is literally never a dull moment.”
When she isn’t poring over the fine details of our finances, Rebecca might be found doing some fine needlework. She’s an expert seamstress and has helped to create costumes for several of our theater productions. She also loves to read, travel, and watch interesting reality shows like “Forged in Fire,” a show about knife making. Never a dull moment, indeed!
The accounting side of the position can be taught, but understanding the culture of schools is much more important. I get schools, and I love schools.
Sonoma Academy Is...
...the only private, independent, college preparatory high school in Sonoma County. On our beautiful campus nestled at the base of Taylor Mountain in Southeastern Santa Rosa, our students are able to explore their interests and passions in a rigorous and inspiring environment that develops a lifelong love of learning and prepares them for college and beyond.
Sonoma Academy admits students of any race, color, religion, ethnicity or national origin, citizenship, gender or gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or disability, to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity or national origin, citizenship, gender or gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and tuition assistance programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
