From small-town dreams to big-city success

Dreams do come true. Melissa Brown is an Enterprise Content Manager for Digital Communications in the Communications and Customer Experience Department (CCED). Growing up in a small town in Indiana, she enjoyed learning about people and investigating stories. She aspired to be a part of a magazine where others like her would be featured. Frequently, she found herself as the only African American in both class and extracurricular activities.

To fulfill her dream, she attended Florida A&M University and earned a degree in journalism and magazine production. Attending a historically Black college or university was another important step on her way to creating representation. After graduation, she relocated to Miami with her husband, who grew up in Perrine.

She joined the County as a call specialist at the 311 Contact Center, where she learned much about the different services and departments. "I enjoy helping people, including the staff in our departments and the residents we serve," she said. "At the end of every day, it’s rewarding to have a role in communicating our services and developing the best ways to highlight valuable information to our community."

While working at 311, she developed knowledge and understanding of many different areas and brought that to the Digital Communications team. "In many ways, working and collaborating with departments fuels my passion for storytelling. Supporting different groups to solve challenges through our digital channels fills my need for investigation and research. There’s never a dull moment. Working with the excellent team here at CCED on many newsletters and information pieces feeds my creativity."

"Since joining the County, I have been able to build on my education with work that matters. I look forward to using my skills and talents to support the County and CCED team," Brown added.

When not at work, Brown and her husband are raising two daughters, Olivia, 10, and Savannah, 12. They keep them busy with cheerleading, Florida Junior Thespians and dance activities. Brown also admits her family are theme park enthusiasts and love visiting Universal Studios for birthdays, vacations and just because. She also feeds her passion for investigative research by serving as her family’s genealogist and historian.

Learn more about CCED and the services they provide.