Heidi Brown

Heidi Brown’s passion for improving the lives of youth led her to join the Horizon Group team in 2022 as a senior program director and director of the Iowa Afterschool Alliance.

An Iowa native, Heidi graduated from Urbandale High School and spent two years as a substitute teacher in the Des Moines metro before moving on to work in out-of-school time education for the YMCA, the Science Center of Iowa, and most recently, Des Moines Public Schools. After 16 years with Des Moines Public Schools, Heidi took her dedication to out-of-school youth opportunities to Horizon Group, where she’s led the Iowa Afterschool Alliance in their endeavors to expand youth programming in the state.

In her current role, Heidi serves as the director of the Iowa Afterschool Alliance, where she supports policy and programming aimed at increasing access to afterschool programs in Iowa. Her dedication to supporting accessible and quality out-of-school-time opportunities lights the path for empowering Iowa’s youth.

Heidi lives in Des Moines with her husband, Joe, and sons Owen and Ivan, both of whom are high school students at Roosevelt. In her free time, Heidi enjoys reading, rock ‘n’ roll, and running a small pottery business, Good Moon Pottery.

​More About Heidi 

Education:

• Bachelor’s in education, University of Iowa

• Master’s in education, Morningside College

​Moments I cherish:

Adventures with Joe and the boys: skiing in Colorado, exploring Alaska, and building our cabin.

Favorite place in Iowa:

Our family’s land, “Down the Line Acres,” in Madison County

When I was 6, I wanted to be…

A singer in a rock and roll band.