Elizabeth Brown was elected in November 2015 to her first term on Columbus City Council, which began January 1, 2016.
Previously, Brown served as an economic development manager, where she collaborated with local businesses to add jobs and encouraged new businesses to move to Columbus. As a part of the city’s economic development team, Brown helped pass legislation adding hundreds of jobs in Columbus.
Brown has experience in nonprofit service, as a graduate of the City Year Americorps program. At City Year, she worked with middle school students to improve literacy and implement service-learning projects in public schools. She has a background in state, federal, and issue politics, as well as in journalism, having been published in New York Magazine and National Public Radio affiliate WOSU.
Brown and her husband Patrick Katzenmeyer are active members of the community. Brown is on the board of The Center for Balanced Living, a mental health treatment center that specializes in eating disorders and was formerly on the board of the YWCA Columbus. Katzenmeyer serves as the treasurer to the board of Wild Goose Creative, a local arts organization. They live in Columbus’ Victorian Village neighborhood, along with their daughter Carolyn.
Originally born in the Berwick neighborhood of Columbus, Brown was raised in Granville, Ohio. Brown is a magna cum laude graduate of Columbia University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English.