Brendan O'Callaghan

Brendan O’Callaghan brings more than a decade of higher education, public affairs, and speechwriting experience to his role as Vice President of Communications at the Alliance for Higher Education, with roles spanning large and small public and private institutions as well as community colleges. He served on former Secretary and Governor Janet Napolitano’s communications team in her capacity as President of the University of California system, and, after leaving his home state of California, joined Sarah Lawrence College as Director of Public Affairs and led the college’s nationally recognized COVID-19 response. From 2021-2024 he was Vice President of Marketing, Communications and External affairs at Calbright College, California’s newest and only statewide and online community college, focused on workforce development for adult learners. And most recently he was Senior Vice President of Higher Education at BerlinRosen, where he supported some of the largest names in higher education to break through the noise with compelling and high-impact narratives and initiatives.