One of the most memorable and endearing traits of Board Chairman L. Nettles Brown is his lighthearted sense of humor. He’s been known to say, “If you can’t laugh and have fun, it’s time to go home.”

Installed as Chair of the Board in April of this year, Nettles first became involved with the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana in 2011 when pastor, Rev. Doug deGraffenreid of First UMC Natchitoches, asked him to attend a three-day Planned Giving School sponsored by the Foundation. There he met President and CEO Rob Fairly, and “the rest”, as they say, “is history.”

Nettles was serving on his church’s Endowment Committee at the time and is now Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He is also the “lead dog” to use his term, in a group responsible for preaching at a nearby small, country  church every Sunday.

He is President of the Natchitoches Parish Port Commission, saying he holds that position only because at the first meeting he asked if it was going to start on time.

Professionally, he is a partner with Waskom Brown & Associates, a tax preparation and planning firm in Natchitoches, and he is a New York Life agent and a member of the Million Dollar Roundtable. Nettles was in the Air Force Reserve for 33 years serving as a hospital administrator. He also served at the Pentagon and during that time served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

“I consider it an honor to serve on the Foundation Board, especially when I look at the other people serving with me. I continue to be impressed with this dynamic group of people who all have such a passion to serve and are so knowledgeable,” he says.

Rev. Doug deGraffenreid says, “Nettles is the hardest working Methodist I’ve ever known. He’s generous with his time and his money, and serving on the Foundation board is right up his tree.”

If you visit the Foundation offices in Baton Rouge, you’ll see Nettles’ photo hanging on the wall among all the esteemed past Board Chairs. He is the one with the twinkle in his eyes.

Reprinted from the United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana.