The Kiwanis Club of La Cañada has announced that Greg Brown is the La Cañadan of the Year for 2020 in recognition of his outstanding volunteer service, spanning more than three decades.
The award was established 70 years ago to applaud exemplary leadership and hard-working dedication that has made a positive impact on the local community, local youth and a church or house of worship, the club said.
Brown will be honored at a special buffet luncheon on Wednesday, Aug. 25, at 11:30 a.m. at the recreation hall at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830 Foothill Blvd., in La Cañada Flintridge.
“We invite the public to come together in a show of appreciation for Greg’s selfless contributions and great community spirit,” La Cañadan of the Year committee chairperson Nick Berkuta said. “We look forward to acknowledging him in this special way for the countless volunteer hours he’s given over the years.”
The club traditionally proclaims the award winner in the year after the period for which he or she is honored.
Brown has been on the civic forefront as a member of the LCF City Council from 2003-2011 and 2017-2020 and mayor pro-tem from 2005-2006 and 2019-2020. He served as mayor from 2006-2007. Brown also was on numerous City Council subcommittees, including those overseeing the building of sound walls, installation of sewers, implementing the Downtown Village Specific Plan, and advocating joint-use projects with the LCUSD.
He also served on the Arroyo Verdugo Steering Committee, was on the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, and was vice chair of the Pasadena City College Bond Oversight Committee from 2004-2006, and chair from 2006-2008. He has also consistently championed the revitalization and restoration of the city’s trail system.
Milestone accomplishments during Brown’s tenure as mayor include the unanimously approved Town Center project, ground breaking for Olberz Park and the opening of the trail crossing over the 210 Freeway at Indiana Avenue that completed the long dreamed-of trail loop around the city.
Prior to serving on the City Council, Brown held numerous leadership roles and was on the LCF Planning Commission from 2001-2003. He also led a project that added lights to existing fields, extending the usable hours of recreational facilities, and worked diligently toward the creation of the city’s skate park. He served on the Mayor’s Trails Committee as vice chair, helping to create strategy to enhance and protect the trail system.
As a member of the Mayor’s Discovery Park Planning Committee from 1999-2003, he was instrumental in the acquisition and design of a new city park and led the negotiation and implementation of the joint use agreement for the use of the adjoining baseball diamond.
Attentive to the pulse of the community, Brown currently shares his leadership skills by serving on the boards of Kiwanis Club of La Cañada, Lanterman House/Lanterman Historical Museum Foundation and LCF’s Trails Council, Sister Cities Association and Coordinating Council. He is also vice president, administration, of LCF’s Tournament of Roses Association.
Past affiliations include serving as a La Cañada Flintridge Educational Foundation board member, and assisting the La Cañada High School Music Parents Association by holding various positions, including president.
A graduate of George Washington University in 1973, with a Bachelor of Arts degree (Phi Beta Kappa), Brown received his Juris Doctor degree in 1976 from the UCLA School of Law.
In 1980, Brown co-founded the law firm Bright & Brown, which currently operates with nine lawyers. He left his namesake law firm in 1996 to join the management of one of his clients, serving as general counsel, corporate secretary and chief administrative officer of a multibillion-dollar energy company with more than 800 employees and operations in 13 states. Under his auspices, the BreitBurn law department was named legal department of the year by the National Law Journal in 2015.
Brown and his wife, Joyce, have enjoyed living in LCF since 1977. Joyce graduated from Brigham Young University (summa cum laude) with a degree in mathematics and earned a master’s degree in marriage, family and child counseling. She is a retired junior high school mathematics teacher, math tutor and volunteer high school religion teacher.
The couple’s daughter, Melanie, attended LCF schools, graduated from LCHS in 1998 and is a graduate of BYU and Columbia University School of Law. She is preparing to spend a year in London to earn her master’s degree in library science.
The family has been active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in LCF, and Greg and Joyce have worked extensively with congregants of all ages. Brown has held numerous leadership positions, most recently serving for the past seven years as bishop (equivalent to minister or parish priest) to a congregation in Glendale.
Members of the public are invited to attend the luncheon celebration. Tickets are $30 per person; to purchase them, visit lacanadakiwanis.org and click on the La Cañadan of the Year tab. Tickets may also be purchased by check; mail it to Kiwanis Club of La Cañada — “La Cañadan of the Year,” P.O. Box 33, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91012. Buyers should include their name, email address, contact number and the name of any guests. The deadline to reserve tickets is Monday, Aug. 16.
For additional information, call (818) 495-5141 and leave a message, or email lacanadakiwanis@gmail.com to receive a response by a club member. The ceremony will be conducted following COVID-19 guidelines put into effect by Los Angeles County.
