Brienne Brown

Brienne Brown (née Diebolt; born c.1973) is an American educator and Democratic politician from Whitewater, Wisconsin. She is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Wisconsin's 43rd Assembly district since 2025.

Brienne Diebolt was born in Germany, on an American airbase, to Mark Diebolt and Jean Diebolt (née Youngstrom). As a young child, Diebolt and her family moved to Iran, where her father served in a military attaché with the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Shah. Eventually she and her family moved to Austin, Texas, where Diebolt attended public schools and eventually the University of Texas at Austin, where she first obtained a Bachelor of Journalism, Communication and Media Studies.^[1]

After graduating from university, Diebolt began working for Stratfor, a geopolitical advising firm in the 1990s. She worked for this firm for ten years before returning to University of Texas at Austin and obtained a master's degree in Health Education. She then began working for the Texas Department of State Health Services as an epidemiologist. During her work with the Texas government, she was president of the Council of State & Territorial Epidemiologists. It was around this time that Diebolt assumed the surname Brown, after marrying fellow Austin resident Karl Brown.^[1]

In 2012, Brown and her husband moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin, after Karl was offered a teaching position at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. Brienne began teaching community yoga and assumed the role of an adjunct instructor at UW–Whitewater. She also engaged in community work, serving as the Program Director for the Whitewater Community Foundation, and the Whitewater Library Board.^[1]

In 2018, Brown ran for Whitewater Common Council, but was defeated by Jim Allen.^[2] She then ran again in 2019 in a different district, campaigning in support of building a grocery store, expanding the public library, and expanding public transportation services in Whitewater.^[3] In the election she defeated incumbent alderman Chris Grady. She is now serving her third term on the council.

In 2022, Brown ran for Wisconsin's 31st Assembly district against Republican Ellen Schutt, a former aid to then incumbent representative Amy Loudenbeck. During the election Brown was endorsed by Planned Parenthood.^[4] In the election, Schutt defeated her with a 18.38% margin, with Brown citing the legislative gerrymander as a factor in her defeat.^[5][6]

Following the 2024 redistricting, which undid Wisconsin's 2011 gerrymander, incumbent Democrat Jenna Jacobson was drawn out of her district and into the neighboring 50th district.^[7] Brown then declared her candidacy for the now open 43rd district.^[8] Without a primary opponent Brown advanced to the general election where she faced Republican legislator Scott Johnson, who had been drawn out of the 33rd district and into this one due to redistricting.^[9] A moderate Republican, Johnson had criticized his party over their refusal to accept the results of the 2020 United States Presidential election.^[10] The district had a projected margin of 16 points Democratic.^[11] In the election, Brown defeated Johnson with a narrow 51.24% of the vote.^[12]

Brown lives with her husband, Karl, and her two children in Whitewater. Both Brienne and her husband work for the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater as educators, with Karl having a specialization in Cold War history.^[1]