June 26, 2020
Pushing Beyond Limits: Ted Brown Joins Mountain Shadows Foundation Board of Directors
By Sheryl Wilde
There are times one dares not breathe for want of not disturbing a perfect moment.
Standing at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, looking down upon the soft white clouds as the sun rose over Tanzania, Ted Brown fell silent in a perfect moment of awe and triumph.
Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest single free-standing mountain in the world: 5,895 meters (19,341 ft) above sea level and about 4,900 meters (16,100 ft) above its plateau base.
The climb up Kilimanjaro had a profound impact on Ted. “I learned that you can push yourself as a human to go beyond what you think your capabilities are. We can go beyond ourselves in so many different ways. We can push the limits of human endeavors.”
Pushing the limits of human endeavors …
We believe this philosophy aligns Ted well with our Mountain Shadows Foundation mission as he joins our Board of Directors.
In his early career, with a desire to serve and an adventurous spirit as his guides, Ted pushed the limits and earned the rank of Lt. Commander in the United States Navy as a pilot, and later flight instructor, of the P-3 Orion, an aircraft recognized as a peerless airborne submarine hunter.
Following his service in the military, Ted redirected his leadership skills to the corporate world.
Now a veteran sales leader, Ted has garnered more than 30 years of experience for companies including Deloitte Consulting, Oracle and Siemens. He is currently the President of Growth Ascent LLC, where he specializes in helping startups to Fortune 500 companies during times of trouble. His expertise lies in business consulting, outsourced sales leadership, sales recruiting, sales strategy and sales process.
Ted and his wife, Jessica, were married in 1988. They have two sons, Austin, 23, and Parker, 21.
“Parker now lives at Mountain Shadows. He was born with a diaphragmatic hernia and, within 24 hours after his birth, he was put on an ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) machine.”
The ECMO machine, its technology largely derived from cardiopulmonary bypass, is generally used to support individuals with profound heart and/or lung failure.
“Parker had a stroke while on ECMO when he was just 2 days old. It had a big impact on his development. He was diagnosed with cognitive delay. He has cerebral palsy now and uses a wheelchair.
“When Austin graduated from the University of Chicago in 2017, Parker began asking, ‘When do I get to go away and do my own thing?’ He began advocating for a place he could express his independence.
“Jessica, through a longtime friend, connected with Bill Neville, who had a child that lived at Mountain Shadows. The Neville’s loved Mountain Shadows. They said it was life-changing for their family. We heard the joy they got from having a place like Mountain Shadows for their child.
“Jessica is an exceptional person. Raising a special needs child is tough work. We never thought about a place like Mountain Shadows for Parker.
“Jessica was an elementary school principal and I was Vice President of Sales at Siemens in Texas. When we found Mountain Shadows, we knew it was time to make some adjustments in our personal lives. We packed up and moved to California so Parker could live at Mountain Shadows. That was almost 2 years ago.
“Parker moved into Pine house last October and he loves it! It’s been wonderful for him. He’s matured. He’s become his own man.”
As a past Board Member for Reading is Fundamental (RIF) in Austin, Ted worked to increase childhood literacy. During his time as a Member of the City of Coppell Telecommunications Board, he oversaw city investments in internet infrastructure.
“Being a Member of the Board of Directors allows me to be closer to the inner workings of Mountain Shadows and to impact the future of the organization for the decades ahead. And, selfishly, to impact the life of my child into the future.
“Mountain Shadows has provided – the word I will use is love.
“Your fear as a parent of a special needs child is that your child will not be surrounded by people who love and care for them as much as you do.
“Mountain Shadows provides peace of mind for Jessica and I, and a sense of community for my son. It’s been a life-changing place for all of us.
“If a parent doesn’t have a special needs child, they can’t fathom the magnitude of what you feel for a son who can’t provide for his own needs. And what it means to have a place that will love and protect him for the future.
“This is why I’m passionate about supporting Mountain Shadows, about building a strong foundation so that it will survive decades into the future.”
We welcome you to the Mountain Shadows Foundation Board of Directors, Ted, and look forward to working with you to secure a future that pushes our residents beyond all perceived limits.