Monday Profile: Linda Edwards-Brown

Linda Edwards-Brown is the Juvenile and Probate Court administrator for the Washtenaw County Trial Court. She holds both a masters in social work and a masters in interdisciplinary technology from Eastern Michigan University and a bachelor in psychology from the University of Michigan. Edwards-Brown started her career 34 years ago as a youth counselor at the Washtenaw County Detention Center. From there she worked as a probation officer, a lay referee, a probation supervisor, the Family Division administrator /Friend of the Court, and the Juvenile Center administrator before taking her current position. Residence: Ann Arbor What would surprise people about your job? That I really do love it! What is your greatest fear? Failure Which living person do you most admire? President Obama. Not since President Franklin Roosevelt has this country faced the type of challenges that we face today; couple those challenges with the racial slurs, hate speech, challenges to his citizenship and natural disasters, this President has weathered a storm like no other, and I admire him for that. What is the trait you hate most in yourself? I can usually hide my anger pretty well, but when I am backed into a corner, I come out fighting. What is the trait you hate most in others? Intolerance Necessary extravagance? Pandora®. I have four bracelets and too many charms to count. What is your most treasured possession? My most treasured possession is my dog Tommy. Tommy is 16 years old and has seen me through some rough times. What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Charity, because it should not be a virtue. Charity should be an expectation. When and where were you happiest? July 30, 1989, the day my daughter, Melissa was born. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I would have had my daughter earlier in life and had more than one child. Greatest achievement: Beating breast cancer. On what occasion do you lie? When I fill out the weight section of my drivers' license. What is something most people don't know about you? Most people do not know that I am Catholic and the product of parochial schools. If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be? Andy Griffith (I love The Andy Griffith Show and everything that it represents.) Karen Carpenter (she had a beautiful voice and the Carpenters are my favorite duet.) and Jesus Christ. Who is your favorite character of fiction? The Little Red Hen from the Golden Books. She teaches children the virtues of hard work and personal initiative. Favorite words: Live, love, laugh. Favorite movie: "Gaslight" with Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotten. It is a psychological thriller about a woman whose husband tries to convince her that she is losing her mind (thus the term gaslighting), while trying to steal the jewelry of her aunt, a famous singer who was murdered 10 years ago. Favorite drink: I recently discovered pineapple juice, pomegranate juice and a splash of Seven-Up. Yum! What is your motto? "Be the change you want to see in the world"~Mahatma Gandhi Where would you like to be when you're 90? Somewhere warm with my hubby and great-grand kids by my side. Published: Mon, Apr 16, 2012