About Us

Our Philosophy

Training Grounds’ emphasis is on building people while building communities. At the core of every Training Grounds program is the development of the person which helps us make a true impact in the lives of our participants and the community at-large.  An individual who 1) has understanding of his/her skills, strengths and interests;   2) understands how to apply those attributes; 3) is given the opportunity to utilize those skills, strengths and interests will be successful not only in the world of work but in every aspect of his/her life. 

Secondly, Training Grounds is committed to developing the market of untapped and underutilized workers who may not be college bound but possess useful & marketable skills that are desperately needed and in high demand in today’s workforce.  As a result of years of neglecting this market, certain employment sectors in the region and country have suffered i.e., health, construction and service to name a few.  By equipping and preparing these future workers, Training Grounds makes a difference not only in the life of that worker but in their household, community and region at-large.

TG's Founding

Established in 2005, Training Grounds is the outgrowth of the secondary school teaching experience of its founder, Tom Brown, who taught the NFTE (National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship) classes at Anacostia High School in southeast D.C. Tom saw the considerable resources offered to college-bound students to support their interests and became committed to providing an equal measure of resources and opportunities to students who have vocational, entrepreneurial or immediate workforce interests.  Two metro area leaders, Mike Glosserman of JBG Companies and Mike Kimsey of the Kimsey Foundation, had observed Tom’s success with Anacostia students and encouraged him to create a nonprofit organization that would serve the needs of youth and adults in workforce development when the NFTE program at Anacostia was discontinued. 

Tom Brown, TG's Founder & Executive Director

	Tom Brown is a successful educator, entrepreneur and community leader committed to transforming the lives of urban youth in underserved communities. Profiled in two nationally released books: Guiding Lights: People who Lead Us To Our Purpose in Life by Eric Liu, and I Said Yes by Julie Kantor, Executive Director, NFTE DC (National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship), Tom’s mission is to help young people gain the marketable skills and winning perspective necessary to succeed in today’s competitive employment market.
The founding of Training Grounds sprang from Tom’s personal story growing up in Southeast Washington, DC. Born to teenage parents, his father battled drug addiction for 20 years of his life and was abusive to his family, essentially making his mother a single parent. After struggling with and eventually escaping the pitfalls of drugs, violence, and poverty that were all around, Tom became committed to providing the guidance he had missed to help other youth and young adults in similar circumstances. He was one of the founding staff and board members for KIPPDC Public Charter schools, among the top middle schools in the country. He also taught the NFTE curriculum at Anacostia High School, and achieved the top breakthroughs with youth in Ward 8 of any teacher NFTE had worked with. His teaching experience at Anacostia became the springboard for the creation of Training Grounds. Tom, who is married to the former Kimberly Davis, is the father of nine children, leader of his church’s youth division and a board member of the Washington Math and Science Technology Public Charter School. He also co-chairs with Councilmember Marion Barry the Ward 8 Workforce Development Council. Each year Tom conducts an annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration Event, attended by over 500 people, that honors the achievements of DC youth and community leaders in fulfilling Dr. King’s Dream.

Allie Bird, Director of Business Development and Partnerships

Allie Bird has 30 years of diversified experience as a business executive, nonprofit organization leader, partnership builder, youth mentor and teacher. She has worked extensively in the public, private and nonprofit sectors, where her expertise has been sought in areas ranging from developing national marketing strategies to developing ventures in social entrepreneurship that bring together the unique talents of youth, community, corporate and governmental leaders to address social issues. As a result of her pioneering efforts in this area, she was named a Kellogg National Fellow, one of 50 Americans selected each year by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for its program to help the nation develop its pool of capable leaders.

During her time as a Kellogg Fellow, Allie was drawn to work with inner city young people in the District of Columbia. She was founding co-director of the Children’s Trust Neighborhood Initiative (CTNI), which built strong youth advocacy within the District’s juvenile justice system, and also incubated three other nonprofit organizations that continue to serve DC youth and families. She served as president of the Washington, D.C. chapter of the No Dope Express Foundation, a youth education and anti-drug organization; and directed strategic planning and development for Young People on the Rise, an organization providing leadership experience and college scholarships for youth in low-income communities.

Currently she is supporting Training Grounds in organizational development and building corporate partnerships that help urban young people develop their professional skills, career opportunities and leadership.