2024 Woman to Watch: Charliese B. Lewis The Multifaceted Maven Empowering Voices and Changing Lives
Meet Charliese Brown Lewis – educator, author, editor, podcaster, facilitator, and writing/self-publishing coach extraordinaire. She’s a woman on a mission, providing platforms for others to use their voices to be genuine, empowered, and courageous. Charliese is an unstoppable force who wears many hats – and wears them all well.
“I made up my mind that all the things I wanted to do, I needed to make a plan to do,” Charliese explains. “I literally had to ‘write the vision’ for my own life. That is when my long-time career met my long-time passion.”
As a journalist, storytelling is important to Charliese. She has always been passionate and loves writing for print and electronic media. As an editor, self-publishing coach, and Louisville Literary Arts executive director, Charliese wants to continue spotlighting and developing new literary voices. “The world needs more diverse people sharing their experiences in writing,” she says.
But Charliese is not just a wordsmith – she’s also passionate about education. Her full-time career has always been in education, from higher education policy to teaching at the college level to college and career readiness and family engagement. “I knew at eight-years-old that I had the natural gift of teaching,” Charliese recalls. “I fought that part of being in the education field for years. I never wanted to go into a formal classroom. But your calling is your calling. No matter how much I tried to run from it, it followed me. What’s in you is in you.”
Charliese holds degrees in Education/English, Journalism, and Higher Education. She works as a Family and Community Engagement Liaison for Fayette County Public Schools and as the Executive Director of the non-profit Louisville Literary Arts, Inc. She is also the president of Robert and Charliese Lewis Ministries Inc., home of The ‘After Church’ Experience, which she co-founded with her husband. In 2018 the company published its first book, From the Test to the Testimony: An Anthology of Women’s Faith Stories, which produced other first-time published authors.
Charliese is a woman of faith who brings her values and principles to her personal and professional life. “Using Jesus as the model, He was loyal to His followers and disciples,” she explains. “But it is His loyalty to the mission for which He was assigned that stood out the most, His integrity of character even when He was dishonored and betrayed, and always doing things in excellence because God does all things well.” Loyalty, integrity, and excellence are the values that guide Charliese’s work and decision-making.
As a Christian woman, Charliese also incorporates her faith into her work and advocacy efforts. “I believe understanding and applying the Word of God to our daily lives is what brings positive change in the world,” she says. As President of Robert and Charliese Lewis Ministries, Charliese and her husband founded the organization to serve outside of the four walls of the church building and to work to advocate for those less fortunate. “Wherever there are gaps or needs in our community, we want to partner with other organizations to fulfill those needs,” she explains.
Charliese’s impact on the world is immeasurable. Her passion for education, writing, and advocacy has positively changed many lives. And she’s just getting started. “I can be all the things my heart desires to be,” she says. “I get to use all my gifts and skills in this season I am in. When you are a creative, your voice is less limited when you develop your own platforms. This is the greatest season of my life.”
Charliese Brown Lewis is a Woman to Watch in 2024 and beyond – a trailblazer, a changemaker, and a force to be reckoned with.
To learn more visit: https://linktr.ee/charlieseblewis .
