Kenny Brown, a father and a husband who never set out to be a Lead Dad, has embraced the role fully. And he is our Lead Dad of the Week!
Brown, who has a son and a daughter, is the chief operating officer of AmeriTrust, a Tulsa, Okla.,-based financial services firm. His wife Erin is a doctor, and during the pandemic she was promoted to be the chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Oklahoma State University.
“With my wife’s career taking off I have become a lead dad in my responsibilities at home,” he said. “Our CEO, Kyle McDonald, is a big proponent of having a healthy work life balance.”
Still, when he and Erin first met, he admits her career ambition challenged his assumptions of what he wanted in marriage. “I thought I wanted a stay-at-home wife,” he said. “That was my mother. I had to think about it. That seemed small minded. It was spiritual. I had to rethink it.”
What changed his mind was a college friend who took him aside and challenged his assumptions. “Being more involved at home is not the hurdle,” he said. It’s feeling isolated from other fathers.
“I can’t say I know a lot of guys in my position who are doing what I’m doing,” he said. “Sometimes I find more camaraderie with the working moms in my office. Having conversations with them has been enlightening.”
But he continues to enjoy the juggle of being a Lead Dad. “I love what I do, and I want my kids to see that passion,” he said. “The job I have also gives me the freedom to be there for my kids. I can pick them up at school.”
Welcome, Kenny, to The Company of Dads. Embracing the privilege of a flexible but fulfilling job is something any Lead Dad can appreciate.
