With over 35 years of experience, Brandon’s strengths include strategy development, public policy analysis, public affairs, and leadership development. He has provided guidance on stakeholder engagement across transportation, energy and sustainability, land use and development, and public health, delivering policy analysis and briefings to senior executives, policymakers, and federal, state, and local regulatory agencies.
As an organizational development consultant and leadership advisor, he has supported business owners and entrepreneurs in business development, marketing, and brand strategy. He has addressed thousands of professionals and lectured at the USC Marshall School of Business and for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Initiative. He has also served as adjunct faculty at the University of California, Riverside Institute for Global Management, teaching students from around the world.
After departing from Beacon Management Group, Brandon founded Ascendant Solutions and a leadership development program yoursuccessid, focused on guiding leaders on strategy, organizational change, and leadership effectiveness across public, private, and mission-driven organizations. He continues to teach and advise on business strategy and leadership resilience through university and professional programs in California.
Earlier in his career, he directed public affairs and managed communications and marketing for a national think tank and a Fortune 100 company, and conducted legislative affairs for a transportation agency in Southern California. He also served as interim director for a U.S. Department of Commerce initiative, overseeing $30 million in capital assistance and $18 million in procurement supporting more than 2,000 businesses across retail, professional services, trade, and construction sectors. He managed the Business Entrepreneurial and Services Center at Pasadena City College, funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Brandon served for over a decade on the Executive Board of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and as Chair of its Small Business Council, advocating on policy issues related to business, technology, transportation, education, and economic development. He also served as a Los Angeles City Commissioner focused on improving operational efficiency in city government. He is the founder of NEXUS FORUMS, a nonprofit organization dedicated to public policy dialogue, and has received more than 16 commendations from congressional, state, and local officials.
He is an accomplished writer, published poet, and commentator on current affairs and small business topics, and has been cited by CNN, Inc. Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, and appeared on NPR, Dateline NBC, KNX Radio, The Chris Matthews Show, StartupNation, and other national and regional media outlets.
He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Southern California and a Master’s degree in Leadership and Management from the University of La Verne. He has completed executive education at UCLA Anderson School of Management and is certified as a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
Brandon resides in Pasadena, where he remains active in civic and professional organizations. He has served on advisory boards including Caltech, Habitat for Humanity, and the Kaledioscope Institute, and has been a board member of the Pasadena Rose Parade.
