“Economic development and tourism aligned great [with my background] because you’re marketing a place,” Brady said. “So I was fortunate upon graduation to land a marketing coordinator position with the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development. And my passion at that time was to market my hometown, and that’s still a passion of mine.”

Since then, Brady has worked her way through the organization, gaining an unusually broad understanding of its operations along the way.

“I’ve been in every position within our organization and learned every position within our organization,” she said. “It’s been an opportunity to focus on a place that I really love and use a skill set that I enjoy.”

The professional landscape around Brady has changed significantly during her career. When she began working in economic development, she found herself in a largely male environment. Her small office was just her and two men, and the organization’s board of directors was primarily male.

“There were certainly moments of discomfort being in that role,” Brady said.

But over the years, she has watched more women enter economic development and industry leadership. Brady has been involved with the North Carolina Economic Development Association throughout her career and recently served as its president, giving her a front-row seat to that evolution.

“I’ve really seen a shift in the dynamics in the room,” she said. “More and more women are actually working in economic development.”

Brady sees qualities often associated with women as particularly well suited to the profession. 

“Economic development is a detail oriented job,” she said. “It’s a creative job.”

Her own approach to leadership starts with empathy. As a working mother, Brady recognizes that employees’ lives outside the office inevitably affect the work they do inside it.

“I think the ability to just be human [is crucial],” she said. “As a working mom, I understand that life happens. So somebody might have their 9 to 5, but their 5 to 9 also impacts the work that they do.”

Listening, flexibility and understanding are central to that philosophy, but Brady also believes a leader has to provide direction. She sees herself as responsible for keeping her team connected to the organization’s larger purpose even amid the many ideas and details involved in economic development work.

“I believe that I’m the keeper of the vision in the office,” Brady said. “I like to have creativity and fun and innovation. I like for us to be thought leaders and bring in that hospitality to the work that we do.”

Brady’s definition of success has evolved alongside her career. Marriage, motherhood and experience have changed the way she evaluates professional opportunities and achievement. 

“I’ve definitely had seasons of just being so busy and so stressed and that felt like what the world would define as successful, but personally that was not successful,” she said. “It was just stressful. The key driver is truly finding that balance where professionally, I feel challenged and that the work that I’m doing matters, but personally, it’s not straining or draining.”

Outside work, much of Brady’s time revolves around her two school-age children and their activities, including baseball, basketball and tennis. She also enjoys the opportunities that come with living in Western North Carolina, from walking and biking to exploring neighboring communities, spending time around water and traveling with her family.

Professionally, one of Brady’s major goals is helping turn Henderson County’s investment in 101 acres of industrial property into long-term economic opportunity. She sees developing the property and attracting the right employer as a personal mission shared by her team.

“We’re all passionate about finding the right corporate citizen to employ our friends and neighbors,” she said.

For younger women building careers of their own, Brady returns to the importance of defining success individually rather than allowing outside expectations to dictate what a successful life should look like. Women, she said, are surrounded by competing messages about their health, careers, families and ambitions.

“There’s so much noise,” Brady said. “When you can just think for yourself and find what feels right to you, that is where success starts. And it all just kind of falls into place."