After completing her undergraduate degree, Brown-West moved to Benton Harbor, Michigan, and started working as an R&D Engineer at Whirpool. She began as an engineer working on future project development projects and later got involved in efficient design processes. In 2005, she became a Project R&D Engineer and a Senior R&D Engineer in 2008. She helped the company develop the foundation for its sustainability programs and increased the recruitment and retention of diverse engineers. After earning her master’s from MIT in 2010, she became the Lead Engineer in Sustainability. In 2012, Brown-West received the Distinguished Service Award from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers. In 2013, the same organization awarded her the Emerging Leader Award.

In 2013, Brown-West moved to Chicago and began working at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) as Manager of Consumer Health for EDF+Business. Her job was to engage retailers and supply chain companies to increase the safety and sustainability of consumer products. In 2016, she was promoted to Senior Manager of EDF+Business, where she led a team of scientists, policy strategists, marketing individuals, and business specialists to create toolkits and resources for increased sustainability, ESG measurements, reporting metrics, and product testing for companies. She was EDF’s spokesperson on product safety and sustainability.

Brown-West received the 2019 EDF Staff Appreciation Award. In 2020, Brown-West became the Director of EDF+Business. At EDF, Brown West spent a lot of time collaborating with companies and other organizations to help reduce toxic chemicals in consumer products. Her focus was on assessing the hazards and health impacts of the ingredients. She says many people do not realize the amount of toxic chemical exposures we get from consumer products such as beauty and cleaning products.

One of the most challenging aspects of her role was first learning how to influence companies from outside the industry. She was challenged by the many requests they get from outside companies to help with their sustainability goals. Boma-West learned to focus her energy on what can make the most significant impact.

Brown-West’s interest in advancing the sustainability of beauty products stems from her lived experience. She shares, “We use beauty products every day on our bodies. You can’t get any more intimate than that when talking about consumer products. As a Black woman, it was more personal to me because beauty products that have typically been marketed to women of color weren’t always the ones with the best ingredients. I had that lived experience as well in terms of, how can we improve upon these products and ensure safer products are accessible to everyone?” (Brown, 2023).

The most exciting and challenging aspect of Brown-West’s career has been her involvement with various companies and industries. While she initially spent a decade working for a single company, Whirlpool, which provided valuable learning experiences, her role at EDF has allowed her to engage with diverse sectors. She collaborated with various businesses, including retailers, product manufacturers, chemical suppliers, and other often less visible entities in the value chain. In 2021, GreenBiz recognized Brown-West as a GreenBiz Badass Woman. While at EDF, Brown-West led numerous initiatives, including “Behind the Label: a Blueprint for Safer Chemicals in the Marketplace” and the development of SustainaBuy, an internet tool that guides responsible consumer purchasing decisions.

Brown-West enjoys the challenge of working with so many interests on different projects with unique goals and perspectives. She thrives on understanding the interactions between these diverse parties and believes it’s essential to consider all perspectives when seeking solutions that benefit everyone.

One of the initial challenges in her career was learning how to drive change in companies and industries from an external standpoint. Being a change agent from outside the organization required a different skill set and approach.

Furthermore, Brown-West highlights the difficulty in balancing the numerous requests for assistance from companies and organizations. She emphasizes the need to allocate time and resources to places where they can have the most significant positive impact, and making those decisions is not always straightforward. This balancing act is an ongoing challenge that requires careful consideration and prioritization.

Brown-West is involved with many organizations’ boards. Starting in 2019, she joined the Chemical Footprint Project as a steering committee member, the Engineering for One Planet as an advisory council member, and Credo Beauty as a Clean Beauty Council member. Since 2020, she has been a steering committee member for Single-Use Material Decelerator and an advisory council member for The Business of Fashion’s Sustainability Index.

Brown-West spent a year, from 2022 to 2023, as the Chief Growth Officer for Healthy Building Network.  

In June 2023, Brown-West was named Vice President for Sustainability and Impact at Credo Beauty. In this position, she leads the integration of sustainable practices in product packaging, creation, and shipment. She advises on moving toward reducing the amount of material per product container and the increased use of recyclable materials. Brown-West emphasizes the importance of partnerships with other companies to further sustainability impacts. Credo partners with organizations, including ChemFORWARD, Sephora, Ulta, Beautycounter, and The Honest Co., to promote safer beauty products.