Dominique K Brown

There is nothing like lived experiences to breed career inspiration. Early on, powerful experiences in Dominique K Brown’s career spurred a passion for challenging issues facing women and people of color in the community and workplace. She vowed to become part of the solution and over the years, her work in this space evolved to include elements of difference beyond just race and gender while also embracing broader concepts like inclusion, equity and belonging.

Dominique has extensive and varied experience in HR spanning decades. She’s made significant contributions to iconic brands and Fortune 500 companies including American Express, Motorola and State Farm Insurance. Dominique continues to embrace new challenges to satisfy her desire to grow personally and professionally, while serving others. She was excited to take on a role at PetSmart Charities that combined her HR experience, passion for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and love of animals.

During her career in human resources, Dominique honed her skills in diversity and inclusion by holding DEI roles for several different companies including Motorola, CDI Corporation, Apollo Group, Oscar Health and by most recently, establishing the DEI function at Color Health.

Her passion for the DEI space led her to volunteer work with diversity youth programs, and she has served on non-profit boards including Childsplay Theatre Company, KAET Channel 8 and AnyTown, USA. Dominique previously served on the City of Chandler Human Relations Commission and is a current member of the Black Board of Directors (an advanced leadership non-profit organization). She has successfully organized non-profit fund-raising events and is a past recipient of the “Diversity Achievement Award” from the Diversity Recruiters Network and the prestigious “Bert Getz Leadership Award” from the Arizona Community Foundation.

Dominque’s enthusiasm for her work is surpassed only by her passion for her family. She is a mom to two remarkable young men, Chandler and Parker, who never cease to inspire her. For fun, she enjoys making memories with her family, reading fiction novels, watching documentaries, learning new things and meeting new people. She is a proud first-generation immigrant, born in the Caribbean and raised in New York City. She received her BA in liberal arts with high honors from the University of Arizona and now considers herself a “semi-native” of Arizona.

Mission Moments

with Dominique K Brown

Why do you think pets are important in the lives of people?

The unconditional love and companionship that pets provide can be key to physical and mental health. I have always been intrigued by the power of the human/animal bond and how it can impact, and sometimes save, human lives.

How has your pet (or a previous pet) changed your life?

Loving and caring for dogs has been an important part of life and a source of great joy. It has shaped me as a person and has helped me become more patient, tolerant and forgiving. I’ll confess that many of the same techniques I used to train puppies, I used with my toddlers, and they were remarkably well-behaved!

Is there a Charities impact story that sticks out in your memory?

I am especially moved by stories of pets with special needs, and older pets that are adopted from shelters. These animals sometimes require a little extra care, but what they give in return to their owners is so worth it.