“If not me, then who?” These are the words that have resonated with Brandi since the year 2008 when she returned home to Pittsburgh. As a participant of the 2012 CORO, Next Leaders Northside cohort, Brandi first introduced her idea as a class project to empower young single mothers and fostering growth mindsets. It was then that she realized her calling. 

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While completing coursework at Community College of Allegheny County, Brandi began working with the Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP) as a Community Liaison where she made connections and built relationships with community organizations, political and public figures, as well as school administrators and students.  While serving as the Community Liaison, she successfully organized an Anti-Violence Youth Summit with five area High Schools within the Pittsburgh Public School District.

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Her organizing skills were further developed through a Professional Fellowship Training Managers track with Organizing for Action (OFA) in Chicago I.L. during the summer of 2015. She has since led three direct reports as a Training Manager with A Plus Schools, delivered curriculum as a Program Manager with the Day One Project and led successful political campaigns as both Campaign Manager and Campaign Assistant in the past three years.

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She is trained in Trauma and Adversity and holds two licenses as a Restorative Practice Trainer through the International Institute of Restorative Practices located in Bethlehem Pennsylvania. 

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Brandi is now the Founder and Lead Trainer of Solace Consulting, a newly founded firm dedicated to expanding the work of Restorative Practices.  All consultations, workshops and trainings are prefaced with understanding the effects of trauma while emphasizing the need for explicit framework in school, home and the community.

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She believes she is modeling the change she seeks and making a difference through transformative power. She is passionate and dedicated to her work in “building relationship’s” and a restorative way of living. From her work in parent organizing, youth and education advocacy, legislative policy to mental health awareness, she is committed to creating a culture shift and breaking generational cycles. This work is her purpose, it is her life.