Wesley Brown

A Bit About Me

A longtime financial and business reporter and media executive, Wesley began his career with the Tulsa (Okla.) World newspaper where he quickly rose through the ranks to work on the newspaper’s city beat and served as the only African-American staff reporter at a statewide newspaper in Oklahoma for several years. During his time in Tulsa, Brown was also part of an award-winning team of writers and photographers that covered the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, the nation’s largest domestic terrorist incident that claimed 168 lives. A few years later, Brown made the switch from crime and city beat reporting to business and financial writing, which he calls the best decision of his career.

As the Tulsa’s World chief energy reporter, he was able to learn the oil and gas business, the stock market and financial writing from the ground up. In the 1990s when the nation’s oil industry almost collapsed, Brown won several awards for his reporting on companies like Exxon, Mobil and others oil giants like Arco, Phillips and Amoco that went out of business or were acquired by larger companies. His award-winning reporting cover Oklahoma’s oil industry helped him land a job on Wall Street in the late 1990s as the chief energy correspondent for Bridge News and Reuters business newswires, where he covered OPEC and most of the top global oil companies.

​

After leaving Reuters, Brown came back home to Arkansas after he was hired as the business editor for the Stephens Media newspaper in Fayetteville. Stephens later promoted Brown to work as business editor for the newspaper chain at the State Capitol. Brown left the news business for a short stint between 2006-14, serving as a communications specialist and company spokesman for the former Alltel Corp., and Transamerica Life Insurance Company. He returned to his first love in 2014 to service as business editor and senior political and financial reporter for Talk Business & Politics. 

​

After leaving TB&P, Brown served as publisher and executive editor of Daily Record business journal and founded his own publishing, media outreach and PR firm, Wesbro Communications. Under his helm, Wesbro now publishes the Arkansas Black Vitality magazine and non-profit Arkansas Delta Informer news platform. He also provides media and business consulting services to small business owners, nonprofits and startup firms.

​

​Besides numerous awards and recognition for his reporting on everything from nonprofits and mental health issues to the nation’s energy industry and Wall Street and the stock market, Brown was selected as guest lecturer for the Joel Gamble Distinguished Speaker series in October 2019. Brown attended A-State from 1981-85 and was described by Gambill as one of his “star journalism students.”

​

While at Arkansas State, the 1980 Hope High School graduate ran track and cross country and was roommates with A-State alum and Olympic triple jump gold medalist Al Joyner (husband of the late Florence Griffith Joyner and brother of Jackie Joyner-Kersee, both Olympic medal winners). After leaving Jonesboro, Brown chased his own Olympic dream as a top American amateur distance and marathon runner that ran parallel with his reporting career.

​

Between 1980 and 1999, Wesley won over 150 road races and set records across the U.S. for distances ranging from five kilometers (3.1 miles) to the marathon (26.2 miles). In 1991, he was recognized as Oklahoma Runner of the Year and named to the Oklahoma Track & Field All-Century Team. His running highlights include winning the Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth three times, the St. Louis Marathon in 1997, and a 36th-place finish in the 1991 Boston Marathon as one of the top American runners. He is also the five-time winner and record-holder for his hometown Hope Watermelon Festival 5K, winning the first-time at 17-years old and receiving the winning trophy from then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, also of Hope.

​

Today, Wesley trains and mentors runners and endurance athletes of all races, gender and competitive levels, including several Olympic caliber athletes. 

CEO, Wesbro Communications

Owns and publishes Arkansas Black Vitality, elevating minority narratives. Oversees all operations for ArkansasDeltaInformer.com, ensuring quality content delivery. Provides comprehensive media relations and consulting services to small businesses, enhancing their market presence. Conceptualized the Arkansas Black Collective to support and develop minority journalists

Communications Lead, L3 Harris Technology Corp. (Aerojet Rocketdyne subsidiary)

Oversaw the development and implementation of sitewide internal and external communications planning. Acted as a senior communications advisor to the executive team, leveraging strategic insights. Directed corporate communications, crafting impactful press releases and news stories. Managed internal communications, optimizing email distribution and intranet site functionality. Formulated communication strategies grounded in market research and customer feedback. Championed marketing campaigns to promote defense industry products effectively. Managed community partnerships and local marketing agency agreements to enhance brand visibility

​

Led editorial and content development for a state's longest-operating business journal, establishing update journalis standards. Served as executive editor for a diverse team, including an assistant editor and reporters. Authored an award-winning weekly business column, demonstrating industry expertise. Acted as a political and business commentator for local broadcasts, engaging the community. Directed the development of social media and website content, enhancing audience engagement.