Cathy Neece Brown
Big Heart, Big Thinker
By Meda Kessler
Photos by Ralph Lauer
Among Cathy Neece Brown’s many talents is the ability to juggle.
As a professional fundraiser, community leader, problem-solver, wife, mother and animal rescuer, she is a pro at keeping a lot of balls in the air.
Among Cathy Neece Brown’s many talents is the ability to juggle.
As a professional fundraiser, community leader, problem-solver, wife, mother and animal rescuer, she is a pro at keeping a lot of balls in the air.
Plus, she’s one of the few people we know who can walk the neighborhood with the leashes from a pair of Great Pyrenees dogs in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. When son Braeden was younger, usually there was a little red wagon involved, too. And, if it was early on a Saturday, Cathy just might be in her pajamas as they made their way slowly to Dale’s Donuts or Craftwork Coffee Co.
A longtime resident of Arlington Heights, she and husband Kevin and children Abigail and Braeden, share their home with the two Pyrs, two guinea pigs, a cat and a rabbit. There’s a reason why their home is lovingly nicknamed Collinwood Farms. “I met my husband when we were neighbors on Collinwood, and now we have lived in two homes on the same block,” says Cathy.
Alfred the cat is one of several furry residents at Collinwood Farms, the nickname Cathy gave to their home. The cookbooks are part of her massive collection.
Cathy at the James L. West Center for Dementia Care (and the bronze statue of the center’s namesake). “It’s been a tough, tough year for our residents, staff and their families.”
There are few people Cathy doesn’t know in Fort Worth. A Missouri native, she attended TCU and never left Texas. We’re pretty sure her resume can’t be contained in the suggested one page, as the list of her service stints on local boards, honors and work with volunteer groups such as SPIN Rescue (Saving Pyrs in Need) is quite lengthy. Her career in development led to jobs at TCU’s Brite Divinity School, the Arts Council of Fort Worth and the James L. West Center for Dementia Care, where she took a job eight years ago and is currently vice president of development and community outreach.
At James L. West, she secured funds for cutting-edge technology in infection prevention, such as a germ-zapping robot that emits ultraviolet light. There’s also a special UV machine that people step on to disinfect the bottoms of their shoes. “It’s imperative that the long-term care industry move to the next level by implementing new technologies and visioning for the future of care.”
Her work doesn’t go unnoticed, and one of her most recent honors was being selected as a 2021 fellow for LeadingAge national Leadership Academy. LeadingAge is a trade association representing nonprofits that provide services to the aging. “I have a year to sit at the feet of the masters in this industry and learn,” says Cathy, whose goals include increased policy advocacy, especially when it comes to aging services. “Change has to happen.”
She, in turn, is always the one offering help. If you put out a request for something, it’s like a Bat-Signal to Cathy; she will see it and respond. Husband Kevin occasionally
calls on her to work at his restaurant, 360 Smoke Shack, on West 7th Street.
During the storm, she offered hot soup to anyone in need via neighborhood app Nextdoor. Someone reached out about a 92-year-old man named Frank who lived alone and was without power, heat or supplies. His family could not reach him because of the weather. “People immediately stepped up to help take him batteries and other supplies,” says Cathy. “We all have our own problems, but sometimes you have to be the one to raise your hand and ask, ‘What can I do?’”
Cathy secured funding for new infection prevention equipment at James L. West that uses UV light to zap all types of germs and bacteria.
We first met Cathy through her work with the Arts Council of Fort Worth and as current vice president of development at the James L. West Center. While we knew of her passion for the community and helping others, we didn’t know these things about her until we sat down for this interview.
A Missouri native, she attended TCU and worked as a “phone-a-thon” caller because she didn’t have a car.
She worked in marketing for the Texas Rangers baseball team and helped open The Ballpark in Arlington in 1994.
She worked at the Dallas Zoo in the development office and was there in 2004 when Jabari the gorilla escaped.
She fills in when needed at husband Kevin’s restaurant, 360 Smoke Shack, on West 7th Street.
She collects cookbooks, especially the ones from Junior Leagues around the country. She has close to 1,000 at any given time.
She bakes a mean banana bread.
She wanted to be a pediatrician when she was growing up.