Interview with Beverley Brown

by Jane Armbruster

"I guess service is in my blood," says Beverley Brown, explaining why she likes being the new advertising manager for the MacArthur Metro. She pauses for a moment and then adds, "The Metro helps knit the fabric of my community."

Beverley has been at work since June, meeting the other members of the Metro team, becoming familiar with the advertising accounts, and working with the advertisers. By this writing, she has begun to initiate contacts with advertisers. "Learning the ropes" is what Beverley calls this process.

Beverley notes that many of the current advertisers miss her predecessors, advertising manager pro tem Cynthia Walston and long-time advertising manager Susan Tipton. Beverley has heard from current customers that the advertising manager is the vital link between the Metro and its advertising community. "It is because of this I feel I have some big shoes to fill. My business experience with Pacific Bell (now SBC) as a project and marketing manager has helped a lot," she comments.

Asked what it's like to bring her business and organizational skills to the Metro, Beverley says that she took an early retirement package from Pacific Bell in November 2000. She is confident that her 27 years of experience in the business world have provided her with the skills needed for this job with the Metro. Beverley then adds, "I'm used to working in an automated environment, so it feels a little like stepping back into time." She goes on to explain that the advertising manager work still requires a manual process and that she hopes to streamline the billing and contractual record-keeping functions of the advertising manager's work. "I want to be more efficient," she says, "and also provide great service to the Metro and the advertisers."

When Beverley is not working with the Metro, she is involved with other volunteer service. She is a board member for a women's organization, Women and Leadership Network (WAL). WAL's purpose is to build and maintain a sense of community for WAL Alumni, assist in furthering professional development, and further networking resources. Women and Leadership organizes three or four events a year at which members can advance their careers by sharpening and learning new skills and by networking.

Beverley, a long-time animal lover, volunteers with the Oakland East Bay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). On Tuesdays (her favorite day of the week) she can be found volunteering at the SPCA. On average, she spends three to four hours each week socializing cats and puppies. Her volunteer duties with the SPCA include assisting potential pet owners with the process of selecting pets that are compatible with them and their lifestyles.

Beverley's father had a military career that helps explain her birthplace, Tokyo, Japan. A resident of Oakland for 17 years, Beverley has lived in many places. She, with her mother, father, and two sisters, have lived in Southern California, San Francisco, Germany, South Carolina, and currently the East Bay.

Beverley's travels early in life had a bit to do with her love for exploring places near and far. In June 2001, Beverley and her significant other, Jerry Rivera, traveled to the Czech Republic, Spain, and England. This year her travel destinations have included Hawaii and Las Vegas. Beverley says that travel has changed since she retired from Pacific Bell/SBC. "I took one three-to-four-week trip every year before I retired. But the first days of that trip were always spent unwinding from my job." She adds, smiling, "Now, all my travel is relaxed."

When asked for her final thoughts on being the Metro's new advertising manager, Beverley responds, "I feel fortunate to work for the Metro. I look forward to meeting with more advertisers and working with the Metro staff."

Beverley lives in the Laurel neighborhood with Jerry and Mokie, their rescued Siamese-mix cat.

Jane Armbruster is a resident of Maxwell Park and a writer who is almost finished with her first novel, Peasant Stock.