California First Lady Anne Gust Brown Inspires Women Leaders At She Shares Luncheon

SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Saying "California is not out of the woods yet" Anne Gust Brown, First Lady and Special Counsel to Governor Jerry Brown, told a Sacramento audience that the Brown administration would continue to follow fiscally conservative policies to keep the state's budget in balance.  Gust Brown, who works as an unpaid adviser to her husband, made her remarks at She Shares, a conversation series featuring California women leaders and produced by the Dewey Square Group. The need for savings, said Gust Brown, led the couple to eliminate the office of First Lady shortly after Brown was elected Governor. "So many things had to be cut and we wanted to make sure we started with ourselves," said Gust Brown.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130606/DC27455)

During the conversation, Gust Brown, a former corporate attorney, spoke candidly about her ambivalence at being known as "First Lady", about the challenges faced by women in the workplace, about her unprecedented role as special counsel to the Governor – and the surprising popularity of California's first dog, Sutter Brown.

"People sometimes think I'm just the dog walker," Gust Brown joked about not being recognized. "It's hard in my household to get any attention, between my husband and the dog." Despite her highly influential role behind the scenes, Gust Brown confessed "I never thought I would be a politician or even a politician's wife for that matter. Now here I am."

She Shares, moderated by the Dewey Square Group's Karen Breslau, provides mentoring and networking opportunities for future women leaders. The program, now in its second year, is sponsored by Lucas Public Affairs, Skelton Strategies and the Thomas Law Group. At each event, young women from the community are invited as guests and partnered with a mentor for the day. "It was a unique opportunity to interact with other successful women and gain insight into what they have done in their careers to get where they are today," said Angela Pontes, a 2013 fellow of the Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellowship Program.  Pontes was paired with mentor Gayle Miller, Staff Director for the Senate Committee on Governance and Finance. 

Previous guest speakers of the She Shares series include California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, Nancy McFadden, Executive Secretary for Legislation, Appointments and Policy in the Office of the Governor, and Oscar Nominee Jennifer Siebel Newsom, writer, producer and director of "Miss Representation" and UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi. The next conversation will take place on September 18^th featuring former Governor of Michigan Jennifer Granholm.

For more information about She Shares email us at [email protected]

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SOURCE Dewey Square Group