Katie Beal Brown '04

Katie attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where she met her future husband, Tyler Brown, a Houston native and seventh-generation Texan. Katie and Tyler married in her hometown of Midland in 2013 and immediately moved to New York City, where he had an opportunity in private equity real estate and she grew her career in advertising. For Katie, advertising ended up being a very intellectually stimulating, entrepreneurial environment. She served as the Account Supervisor on the Jolly Rancher account at the New York City advertising agency, Anomaly, which was ranked number four in Ad Age's 2016 Agency A-List. In 2014, Katie was selected as a rising star in the advertising industry, participating in the first U.S. Google Squared Program at Google New York. She also received an ANA Multicultural Excellence Award for Total Market, which celebrates the best multicultural advertising campaigns. She worked on the Tylenol #HowWeFamily campaign that won the 2015 Grand Prize Total Market award. 

With Katie’s entrepreneurial spirit and years of experience at industry-leading agencies, she set out on a new venture to build her own brand, Lone River, celebrating her roots in West Texas. Lone River pioneered the tequila-style hard seltzer category with its introduction of Lone River Ranch Water and more recently, Lone River Ranch Rita. After less than a year of record sales, Lone River Beverage Company was purchased by Diageo, one of the world's largest producers of spirits and beers including world-class brands like Casamigos, Crown Royal, Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, and Guinness. Katie and her team built a business that was one of the fastest acquisitions in the beer industry. Lone River now leads the tequila-style seltzer category as the #1 Ranch Water in the U.S. Katie continues to lead the business on a day-to-day basis as CEO of the brand and works closely with Diageo leadership to build on Lone River’s success. She was honored by Inc.'s 2021 Female Founders 100, and AdWeek's Creative 100: 2023's Most Innovative Talents.

Katie continues her family’s legacy of philanthropy with her service and support of many nonprofits. In New York City, her volunteer work was focused on helping women get back into the workforce. She is currently involved with the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, which honors and celebrates women, past and present, whose lives exemplify the courage, resilience and independence that helped shape the West, and fosters an appreciation of the ideals and spirit of self-reliance they inspire. Katie loves any opportunity to empower like-minded entrepreneurial women. This effort includes many small projects, whether it be mentoring a female founder, using her platform to shine a spotlight on an up-and-comer, or helping connect a female business owner to the resources she may need. 

Katie has never forgotten the impact that Trinity School had on her life. She continues to keep up with former classmates and attend alumni gatherings. She also participated in the Trinity Alumni Career Panel and was the keynote speaker for the Class of 2022 dinner. 

Katie currently lives in Fort Worth, Texas with her husband, Tyler, and two daughters, 4-year-old "Emmy," Mary Elizabeth Brown, and 1-year-old "Annie,” Annabelle Grace Brown. Katie’s biggest accomplishment and most important job in life is that of being a mother.