Hospitality has always been second nature for Diana Brown, whether she is in the office explaining payroll to a Department of Public Safety employee, or serving up a plate of oxtail at Soda City Market in Columbia.
“My approach is always taking care of people. The people part is so important to me,” said Brown, human resources operations manager for DPS. “I believe in providing responses and finding solutions that are beneficial to the problem.”
A native of Jamaica, Brown recalls the easygoing days of nature, excitement, and the creativity of island life as a child, such as playing outside or making her own toys.
“Being from an island, there was so much freedom and structure all in the same breath. It was an adventure,” said Brown, who grew up in the Saint Mary Parish. “The Jamaican culture is very hospitable and always relaxed. We knew our neighbors were our village, always helping and looking out for each other. I wouldn’t change the way I grew up at all.”
After finishing community college in Jamaica in2002 with an associate’s degree in hospitality management, in 2003 Brown was one of two selected from 400 applicants for an 18-month management training at La Casa Del Zorro Hotel in Southern California. While at the five-star resort, Brown learned about high-end hospitality and service, and reinforced the framework of customer service at the core of her Jamaican culture. Brown’s performance earned her an invitation to come back on a contractual basis, working nine months out of the year in operations and housekeeping.
During her time in California, Brown attended church and found joy in cooking for church members. Calling food her love language, she says her culture means someone will never leave her house without a bag of food.
“I’ve always had a passion for food. It doesn’t matter how tired I am, I’m going to cook and you’re going to eat!” Brown said with a laugh. “I was cooking full-on meals at age 10. My mom taught me everything I know.”
She never thought to monetize her skills – at least not until the church members started paying her. She accepted their tokens of thanks, while the idea for a culinary business simmered like a pot of curry chicken over the next few years.
Needing a change, Brown moved to South Carolina in 2010 after a friend from California moved to the state. She began working in hospitality, first in housekeeping at a Columbia hotel property, followed by a role in HR at another property. Sadly, the hotel alleviated all management positions, including hers, the following year.
Out of work for several months, Brown began working toward her master’s degree in organizational leadership. Cooking also helped get her through those uncertain months.
“I started making and selling plates out of my house,” she said. But in 2015, she decided to dive headfirst and register her business. Two years later, Brown Sistaz Island Vibz was official.
“It was hard because no one knew who we were,” Brown said of her company’s beginnings at Soda City Market. “Some days I questioned if this was a good move because I’d have so much that didn’t sell. Some vendors at the market pushed me to keep going, and I did. Before I knew it, people began looking for our tent."
As Brown’s culinary passion got up and running, her career in state government also took off. After leaving the hotel industry, Brown found employment in 2014 at the SC Vocational Rehabilitation Department as the classification and compensation manager. She continued in the field of human resources with the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, the Department of Motor Vehicles and since 2022, at the Department of Public Safety.
“I had heard great things about the structure at DPS,” she said. “Operations is the heart of HR. As a human resources operations manager, I do a little bit of everything: Benefits, payroll, SCEIS processing and reporting.”
Along with a supportive environment and new opportunities for growth, Brown has found that her career at DPS allows her to serve both law enforcement and civilian employees during the day, and hungry customers during her time off.
“The balancing act of two jobs can be tricky,” Brown said. “If my work phone rings, I will always try to answer it because I know someone needs help.”
Serving and helping people are at the forefront of everything Brown does. Sometimes that comes with guidance on a question about payroll — and sometimes with a side of jerk chicken.
