Barbara D. Katz-Brown grew up in Highland Park, N. J., where she received an excellent education. Katz-Brown attended Ithaca College in Ithaca, N. Y., where she majored in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree, Magna Cum Laude, with New York State teaching certification.

She started her career as a speech pathologist in a small school district in Connecticut and while there, began graduate studies at night at the University of Connecticut.  Barbara left the position in Connecticut the following year to begin a Masters in Speech Pathology at Ithaca College on a full scholarship. After completion, she worked first part-time, then fulltime in a small school district in a  centrally isolated area in New York State in a variety of positions for over 40 years as a speech pathologist, elementary support teacher, summer school principal, assistant middle school principal, associate high school principal, substitute elementary principal and superintendent’s hearing officer.

She obtained a Certificate in Advanced Study in School District Administration from The State University of New York at Cortland. Barbara was also an adjunct instructor at Ithaca College where she taught a number of classes in the organization of public school speech therapy programs and child development of speech/language and reading and writing. She also taught at Tompkins Cortland Community College and was the speech pathologist for two area nursing homes for over 10 years, where she supervised graduate clinicians from Ithaca College. Barbara continues to practice as a New York State licensed speech pathologist and as a substitute administrator.

Katz-Brown  is married to her adoring husband, Steve Brown, a jazz guitarist, arranger, composer and Professor Emeritus of Music and former Director of the Jazz Studies program at Ithaca College.  They have a son and a daughter-in-law and a daughter and a son-in-law. She and her husband continue to reside in central New York, but spend much of the year traveling throughout the United States and Europe while Steve continues to perform.