Our Team

A smiling woman with braided hair wearing a sleeveless pink top against a light background.

BARBARA JONES-BROWN

Founder and CEO

With over 20 years of experience in the retail tech sector, Barbara has been at the forefront of the industry for years. A Texas native and Georgia resident, she founded Freeing Returns and has created software that is running in over 4000 stores throughout the US, Canada, and Japan.

A woman with long curly black hair, wearing pink hoop earrings, a pink top, and a silver necklace, smiling at the camera.

BRIA JOHNSON

Chief of Staff

As Chief of Staff at Freeing Returns, Bria plays a pivotal role in driving strategic initiatives, managing cross-functional operations, and supporting executive leadership. With a background in marketing and a passion for operational excellence, she bridges communication across teams, ensures priorities are aligned, and helps scale internal processes to support growth. Bria’s ability to manage moving parts with precision makes her an essential force behind the scenes, contributing to the success of Freeing Returns’ mission to revolutionize loss prevention in retail.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Promotional graphic for the Accenture Black Founders Development Program, featuring a young Black woman with glasses, wearing a purple patterned top, and a purple background with white text.
A logo with a shield featuring an American flag, and text that reads 'VETERAN OWNED BUSINESS'.

Make it stand out.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

Circular badge with pink border and text reading 'Business Woman Owned' around a checkmark.
Logo for Black Founders Fund by Google for Startups on a blue background.
Logo for SBA EdWosB, an economically disadvantaged woman-owned small business, with a check mark inside a circle at the top.
A NMSDC logo consisting of a colorful abstract geometric design with curved shapes in orange, blue, green, and black.

We aren’t just in the total retail loss prevention game. We’re obsessed with it. While Freeing Returns might be new on the scene, our extensive retail background gives us an insider’s edge when it comes to understanding retail crime, preventing losses, and finding profits hidden in your data. Our team has over 150 years of combined experience in the industry—and our innovative approach to profit optimization has been recognized by more than 20 awards and accelerators.

THE CULTURE WE WANT TO

B.U.I.L.D.

BE BETTER

Pursue life-long learning, always challenging yourself and improving.

BE UNITED

Pursue life-long learning, always challenging yourself and improving.

BE LOYAL

Pursue life-long learning, always challenging yourself and improving.

BE INCLUSIVE

Pursue life-long learning, always challenging yourself and improving.

BE DARING

Pursue life-long learning, always challenging yourself and improving.

WOMEN IN IT

Three African American women conversing on a couch

WOMEN IN IT

Our former company name LILLII is an acronym that stands for “Let’s Imagine Life with Ladies In IT” and we still honor this name.

We continue to work hard to bring more ladies into the field of IT and computer programming. Now, we are working to help 100 Portuguese speaking ladies from Luanda and Brazil into the field, as well as ladies right here in the U.S.

If you want to join us on our mission, contact us today for ways that you can assist. We stand on three pillars: (1) We want to celebrate the ladies who are already in IT (2) We want to encourage more ladies to get into IT (3) We want to celebrate our male advocates who also want to see more ladies in IT on their teams and in their companies.

Will you join us?

Pink background with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency logo at the top, and a message stating that the firm was honored as Minority Tech Firm of the Year in 2022, thanking the agency for the award.