"Queens, New York born—southern beauty raised in Augusta Georgia, Mrs. Brown Thomas comes from music royalty! She is a humanitarian, entrepreneur, radio & TV personality, actress, writer and daughter of “The Legendary Godfather of Soul”, Mr. James Brown.
Mrs. Brown Thomas is President of The James Brown Family Foundation,,, Inc. (JBFF) a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created according to the wishes of James Brown. Through JBFF, she advocates charitable giving and conducts an annual James Brown Turkey and Toy giveaway in Augusta, Georgia and New York, where thousands of underprivileged children and families have received turkeys and toys during the holidays. She was named an Ambassador for “Feed The Hungry” because of her continuous work to provide meals to those who are less fortunate. Mrs. Brown Thomas globally supports education, careers, internships and mentorships in the entertainment industry. Mrs. Brown Thomas is the innovator and founder of the James Brown Academy of Musik Pupils, aka J.A.M.P., a year-round musical village dedicated to teaching students to play instruments, write and create their own music. She is also founder of the James Brown Family Performing Arts Center (JBFPAC) a theatre arts, fashion and fine arts initiative in New York.
Mrs. Brown Thomas holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Towson State University and an FCC License from Columbia School of Broadcasting. She boasts an extensive career as a broadcaster for Clear Channel, Radio One and CBS Affiliate, WRDW. She was Program Director & On-Air Personality at WERD and WAAW in Georgia, both owned by James Brown. She developed an appreciation and understanding of the music industry by watching, working and traveling with her dad as Executive Vice-President of James Brown Enterprises.
“New York Undercover” & “Blues Brothers 2000” debuted Mrs. Brown Thomas as a film and SAG actress. She had a role in the Award-Winning Broadway play “Pippen”, starring Ben Vareen, and a play called “Soul Brother Number One” at the Augusta Mini Theater. She was a special guest of the popular show “I Bear A famous Name” which airs on German Public Television. She is filming her own show “The Deanna Brown Show” and has written her first children’s book, “Little Miss D”.
Mrs. Brown Thomas is a true entrepreneur with multiple businesses including, Deanna Inc, T&T Transportation, Val-U Furniture and DeShawn’s Seafood.
Mrs. Brown Thomas was instrumental in organizing the Augusta, Georgia Premier of “Get on Up” the biopic of the life of James Brown and is credited as a “consultant” on both the film and “Mr. Dynamite” the HBO documentary highlighting James Brown’s career.
In addition to her many key interests, Mrs. Brown Thomas is a member of Carpentersville Baptist Church, where she is a Trustee and a member of The Christian Education Ministry. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., participating in many charity fundraisers for youth development. Mrs. Brown Thomas is a former member on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame and an active board member for The Augusta Museum of History where she helped create the first and largest museum exhibit of James Brown memorabilia in the world." -Source: About (jamesbrownfamilyfdn.org)
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