Leading Across Sectors.
Creating Lasting Impact.
I’ve spent my career at the intersection of government, law, non-profits, and emerging technology—leading organizations, advising executives, and helping institutions adapt to change.
I created Crosscurrent Strategies to bring everything I’ve learned to the leaders who need it most.
Founder, Crosscurrent Strategies
Bert Brandenburg
I’m a strategic leader who has navigated organizations and leaders through high-wire challenges, strategic reorientation, and complex communications environments.
I founded Crosscurrent Strategies to help leaders confront the same cross-sector complexity I’ve navigated throughout my career—drawing on decades of experience in government, nonprofit leadership, law, and emerging technology.
I served as Director of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice, where I was awarded the Department’s highest honor for his leadership. I returned to the Department as Deputy Director of the Community Relations Service. Both were presidential appointments.
I have run two national non-profit organizations, served as board chair of two others, and led a merger of two merger non-profits.
I led an AI initiative at a healthcare startup serving developing nations, and in 2026 was named as an American Democracy and Technology Fellow by the John McCain Institute, focusing on AI and the courts.
My other experience includes service as the chief speechwriter for a cabinet leader, congressional staff roles, participation on a presidential transition, research at a national think tank, and teaching at the Georgetown University Law Center.
U.S. Department of Justice
Director of Public Affairs & Chief Spokesperson
Deputy Director, Community Relations Service
OpenSecrets
Board Chair
The National Institute on Money in Politics
Board Chair
Justice at Stake
Executive Director
The Appleseed Network
President
Federal “Reinventing Government” Initiative
Team Leader
Education & Certifications
- J.D. and B.A., University of Virginia
- Advanced Certified Personal and Executive Coach (ACPEC — ICF Level 2 / ACTP)
Why “Crosscurrent Strategies”?
After decades of leadership at government agencies, national nonprofits, and consulting firms, I saw the same pattern again and again: overstretched leaders trying to keep up with a fast‑changing world, often feeling isolated as they made the hardest cross‑sector decisions about strategy, communications, and emerging opportunities.
Successful organizations have to navigate ever-shifting crosscurrents—forces they can’t always control, risks they must face honestly, and opportunities they create and pursue with imagination.
That’s why I named my firm Crosscurrent Strategies—and because it captures how I work. I draw on my experience across government, law, nonprofits, business, and technology to help leaders read the forces around them, find a clear path, and move with confidence.
I built Crosscurrent Strategies so I can offer clients my candor, my full attention, and the flexibility to work on the problems that matter most and tap trusted collaborators when needed.
Client Experience
More clients
Our Partners
People-ai-hr
AI is transforming work at every level. People-AI-HR LLC helps HR leaders bridge this change. Its founder, Dirk Petersen, has spent his career equipping HR leaders to deliver measurable business results through their people. From hands-on entrepreneurial leadership to senior HR roles at the World Bank, Gartner, and Insight222, his focus has always been the same: helping HR enable leaders and employees to achieve more together.
WARD CIRCLE STRATEGIES
Ward Circle Strategies is a full-service consulting firm. They work with clients on public policy, public affairs, program management, data analytics, and strategic communications. They advise leaders in government, at nonprofits, and in the private sector. They specialize in delivering strategic guidance and hands-on support to their clients.
How We Work with You
We start by listening—and doing our homework.
Before talking solutions, we invest time understanding your organization, your competitive position or mission environment, your stakeholders, and your goals. We study your leadership role, your style, and the pressures you’re navigating.
From there:
- Customized, not cookie‑cutter. We draw on decades of experience, judgment, and networks to build solutions for your specific situation—not hand off generic playbooks.
- Clarity on hard choices. We help you see your options clearly, pressure‑test your thinking, and move forward with confidence.
- Candor and confidentiality. You’ll get honest, direct counsel in a relationship built on trust.
- Organized and adaptive. We bring structure and focus, but we’re ready to shift as circumstances change—because they always do.
- Extending your capacity. Our job is to strengthen your leadership and judgment so you can navigate complexity, seize opportunities, and drive results that last—whether that means sustainable growth, mission impact, or both.
Whether you lead a business, a foundation, or a non-profit, I work as a peer executive in your corner.