Jerry's story: Finding my place and my people

Jun. 20, 2024

Jerry BrownleeSenior Area General Manager, Sodexo US

I grew up in a military family where, I got used to moving about a lot—Philadelphia, Canada, England, Guam. I had known I was gay since 7^th grade, but I kept it very hidden. I came out in the first year of college and I loved finding my own independence. I bought rainbow everything, feeling like it helped assert my newfound independence and freedom. When I went to college at Florida State University, I just wanted to get as far away from home as possible. I decided I wanted to be a lawyer to study international business, but I lost interest after just one semester. I changed my major four times— humanities, education, interior design. Ultimately, my mind wasn’t in the right place.

I came out to my parents in the third year of college. They were not accepting. They kept telling me it was a phase, that they were praying for me, we would get through this. We didn’t talk for almost a year. By this point I knew who I was, and I would not compromise that, even for family.

Through those trials and tribulations however, I found immense solace in cooking I would cook for my friends all the time at college, inspired by my mom who is incredibly creative in the kitchen. My partner at the time suggested I go to culinary school. I was skeptical, and admittedly tired of not figuring out what I wanted to do with my life.

Finding the right path

I decided to take another leap of faith. From orientation I was hooked. I finally found my passion.

My parents thought culinary school was another phase for me. How could I blame them when I changed my major so many times. But I knew it was the right path. The only local culinary school was Keiser University, a privately funded culinary college. I was not able to transfer my scholarship from Florida State, so I attended night classes, while working in telemarketing. This one was on me. Yet, I couldn’t get enough. I loved it. A stark contrast from the person who struggled to drag themselves out of bed for lectures and kept changing their major. I needed something to fuel my creative fire and culinary school was just that.

From cook to general manager

I did my internship in NYC, and once I graduated from culinary school, I moved to Dallas, Texas where it took me four months to find a job. It was much harder than I expected it would be with a culinary degree under my belt. But eventually I saw an ad for a line cook at a corporate office for Eurest. I had never heard of contract food service, but I loved the idea of no nights or weekends and with savings quickly running out. It turned out to be one of the most pivotal decisions in my career and in my life.

I was working for an executive chef who was, brilliantly, lazy. It sounds like a bad thing, but it wasn’t because he taught me everything, so he didn’t have to do it. Not just cooking but business acumen too. He sent me to regional meetings that normally only salaried managers would attend. And ultimately this exposure got me a promotion to an executive chef role at another location.

After this I went on to work for Guckenheimer where I was able to progress from executive chef, to catering manager in Houston Texas, and finally a general manager in Memphis, Tennessee. Because of moving all around the world as a military brat, every few years I got the itch for something new. When looking for my next step, I found Sodexo.

Learning to be comfortable with the uncomfortable

I joined Sodexo as part of the right start program. We were general managers and district managers on a national bench of professionals who supported new site openings and the occasional vacation coverage. I could be asked to support any part of the business, and the first area I supported was healthcare.

I felt very nervous about supporting this sector, which was completely new for me, but I had the space to digest, understand and absorb the new information. I spent a year supporting healthcare with both my culinary and general manager expertise. I feel I emerged from my time in this role a stronger leader and a stronger person

I saw a position for a senior general manger role for a team with 60 people. My previous general manager role had just 10 people in the team, so it was a big step, but I was feeling ambitious.

Finding ‘Steadiness’

After 3 interviews, I got the role. I was the new general manager at Alcon in Fort Worth, Texas. Despite my initial confidence in applying for the position, I spent the first four months as a nervous wreck, trying to improve the operation and get my head around the complexity of this very visible account.

However, the team here was truly brilliant, a true diamond in the rough team. I loved the creative process when my team would come together to solve problems. We all came with different skills which complemented each other. Over the years we have had some come and go, but the core team is still intact. I even left during COVID to help our region in a different role. Ultimately, I had to get the band back together, and so I returned to Alcon in 2023. Together, I feel like we are unstoppable and subsequently, the account is now a Center of Excellence.

I’ve found my niche, my place, and my people here.

I have been quite self-conscious and doubted my abilities in the past, but I’ve been lucky to have had leaders who have supported me and encouraged me to push myself to the next role. I’ve also been motivated by those who have doubted me (intentionally and unintentionally), as this doubt has spurred me on to prove them wrong. Over time, I have become more comfortable with the uncomfortable and realize I need a combination of structure, and outlet for my creativity for me to thrive.

Labels are sometimes necessary

In Sodexo I have joined a few EBRGs (Employee Business Resource Group) with PRIDE being the first I ever joined. I don’t know if it’s due to the culture that the Pride EBRG has established within Sodexo, that it’s just a different time in our society or a bit of both, but the level of acceptance that I’ve experienced at Sodexo is unparalleled. The feeling of being able to just walk into a setting and not worry about being treated differently is amazing. And not because I feel like Sodexo is free of discrimination or people with biases, but because there is a culture of acceptance where if I do encounter any discrimination, I feel confident in being defended and protected.

However, there is still much work to be done. I feel that the frontline employees, who make up most of our workforce, don’t get nearly as much exposure to initiatives which champion inclusivity. They can’t join EBRGs. So, this year we created a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee at Alcon to address this issue. For everyone to be part of a conversation where stories are heard and told, backgrounds are shared, and we can create an intentional focus that wasn’t there before. Some people hate labels, but I feel that sometimes they are necessary to ensure recognition, understanding, and acceptance. When I was younger, before, and just after I came out, my parents were in denial. Denial is the opposite of acceptance and having conversations as a team brings awareness and challenges people to be open minded, it’s this exposure which leads to understanding and inclusion. Our goal is universal acceptance and just like all the other challenges throughout my life, I plan to be successful with this one too.