NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has lost a former leader, advocate and donor.
June Brotherton was a CALS alumna, scholarship donor and former Extension communication specialist and department head who went on to serve in several university administrative positions. She passed away Jan. 10.
A Charlotte native and 4-H alumna, Brotherton earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science and poultry science in 1974 and a master’s in public administration with a concentration in environmental policy in 1993.
After completing her undergraduate degree, Brotherton served as associate director for communications for the City of Charlotte, then went on to lead the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Public Affairs Division.
June was never too busy to take time to meet and mentor women and men working in marketing, communications, nonprofit development or external relations.
After nine years at NCDA&CS, Brotherton returned to her alma mater to serve as an extension specialist and editor, then became an assistant to Chancellor Larry Monteith. In 1993, she moved back to CALS as head of what was then known as the Department of Agricultural Communications.
Two years later, Brotherton returned to the chancellor’s office as executive assistant and director of government relations. She later added responsibilities as the associate vice chancellor for outreach and extension and ended her NC State career as associate director for administration for the NC State Libraries in the late 1990s.
She went on to serve as a founding member of the CALS Advancement External Relations Advisory Committee, helping envision and launch the successful “Food for Thought … Do You Know Where Your Food Comes From?” marketing campaign to educate urban North Carolina residents and elected officials about food, farming and agribusiness. She also worked as director of research for Food Bank of Eastern and Central North Carolina and then managed public relations for AARP in North Carolina.
Brotherton is remembered as the consummate communicator, a strategic thinker, an advocate for diversity and inclusion, and a friend and mentor to many. She was generous with smiles and laughs, as well as sound advice and assistance for coworkers with problems both large and small.
For more information, see Brotherton’s obituary.