Carla Brown, human resources manager for the city of Iola, is out of her element, and it seems that is just where she want to be.
Brown, 28, grew up in England, Ark., a city in the central part of the state. She attended Arkansas Tech University, where she met her husband Michael. From that point, it seemed to be life on the road for Brown.
She and her husband have been working for construction companies for the past several years, most recently with Ames Construction — a Denver-based civil engineering company. Carla and Michael have lived in multiple areas, including Wyoming, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska.
When they hooked on with the U.S. 59 realignment project in Ottawa, the Browns chose to settle in Kincaid, purchasing a home in 2007.
“When we were young, it was fun to move around a lot. But I needed a change of pace,” she was of the decision to leave Ames Construction where she served as a safety coordinator, a job she says is similar to that of a human resources manager.
Brown gave Ames notice when she began with the City of Iola on Nov. 19.
“When I saw the job opening, I knew I could do it,” Brown said. “I practically begged for the job.”
“I’m trying to get motivated to do the things I like,” Brown said. “In construction, you can’t always do what you enjoy.”
Those activities include gardening and using the couple’s pontoon on area lakes.
Brown said she and her husband, who is currently working in Iowa on a bridge over the Missouri River, are pleased with their decision to settle down in southeast Kansas — for now.
Brown said Kincaid and Iola are “some of the nicest places we’ve ever been to.” She said people are willing to help each other out in this area.
As for her work, Brown said she is working out the “little details” and getting used to the process, but she plans to be at 100 percent very soon. With her health and safety background, she hopes to help out the city and its employees.
“I think we need to maintain a good safety record, which will also help keep our costs low,” Brown said.
Brown is currently taking online courses through Columbia Southern University, where she hopes to finish her occupational safety and health degree in the near future.
Until then, Brown said she plans to enjoy the “normal” work lifestyle. She said she is not used to seeing the sun before, and even after she gets off work. She and her husband plan to visit her family for the holiday season in Arkansas.
Brown: comfortably out of her element
