Sally Boynton Brown

Brown was born into a working-class family and grew up in Idaho. She attended Boise State University and received her B.A. in Communications in 2005.

Brown first started working for the Idaho Democratic Party in early 2011 as their field director and went on to become the communications director in November 2011. She assumed the executive director position in March 2012.

Brown over saw the largest Democrat caucus in the nation in Ada County.

Brown was the president of the Association of State Democratic Party Executive Directors.

Brown announced on April 21, 2017 that she is stepping down from being the Idaho Democratic Party Executive Director. Replacing her will be IDDP's former communications director, Dean Ferguson, pending a search for a full-time replacement.

She announced her candidacy for the chair of the Democratic National Committee on December 16, 2016. Her candidacy was considered a long shot inasmuch as Rep. Keith Ellison, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and former Labor Secretary Tom Perez each had some degree of national recognition; ultimately she achieved third place (upon Buttigieg's resignation) before dropping out herself, having won only twelve votes in the first round.

Controversy

On January 23, 2017, Brown became the subject of controversy when during the Democratic National Committee Chair Candidates Forum in Washington, D.C. she said in regard to the Black Lives Matter movement that Democrats need to offer "training" that teaches Americans "how to be sensitive and how to shut their mouths if they are white." Brown went on to say that "It makes me sad that we’re even having that conversation and that tells me that white leaders in our party have failed," she said. "I’m a white woman, I don’t get it... My job is to listen and be a voice and shut other white people down when they want to interrupt." Adding, "This is life and death" she continued. "I am a human being trying to do good work and I can’t do it without y’all. So please, please, please, get ahold of me... I need schooling so I can go school the other white people."

Brown later stated that "I think that this is the issue we see with fake news. These media outlets take something completely out of context and sensationalize it, and now people across the country are sending me hate mail and thinking I’m saying something that’s not true.” She had remarked that her job was to “shut other white people down when they want to say, oh, no, I’m not prejudiced; I’m a Democrat” given what she sees as racism in her party.

It was announced on April 26, 2017 that the Florida Democratic Party has hired Brown as its President (Executive Director). She succeeds Scott Arceneaux, the top party administrator for the last seven years.