Meet Brandon

Dr. Brandon L. Wolfe is a transformation executive, strategic advisor, and enterprise architect with more than two decades of experience guiding organizations through complexity, growth, and change. He is the founder of BrainTrust LLC, a strategic advisory firm that serves mission-driven institutions across higher education, healthcare, government, and philanthropy. His work mobilizes capital, aligns governance with strategy, and delivers measurable outcomes that strengthen organizational resilience and community impact.

Brandon’s leadership spans Fortune 500 companies, academic medical centers, research universities, and civic organizations. He has designed and led multimillion-dollar initiatives that have generated significant revenue growth, secured more than sixty million dollars in partnership funding in four years, and catalyzed inclusive economic development across regions. His ability to translate vision into executable strategy has resulted in enterprise-wide transformations, scalable workforce pipelines, and equity frameworks that have been adopted across sectors.

As a confidential advisor to C-suite leaders and boards, Brandon has facilitated more than two hundred executive strategy sessions and led institutional audits, governance redesigns, and strategic planning processes. His advisory work includes building organizational capacity, aligning cross-functional teams, and embedding inclusive innovation into core operations. He is known for his ability to navigate complexity with clarity, helping leaders make high-stakes decisions that balance performance, equity, and long-term sustainability.

Brandon’s thought leadership has shaped national conversations on organizational culture, change management, and equity-centered strategy. He has authored peer-reviewed articles, white papers, and toolkits, developed courses and instructional frameworks, and served as a reviewer and editor for academic and professional journals. His insights have been featured in executive forums, national conferences, and publications focused on leadership, transformation, and systems strategy.

He is also the creator of Footnotes, a monthly organizational strategy newsletter that delivers executive-level insights on cultural transformation, demographic disruption, and systems leadership. Each issue explores emerging risks, structural trends, and strategic blind spots that impact decision-making across industries. Footnotes has become a trusted resource for leaders seeking clarity in a rapidly evolving landscape and is available at bwolfephd.com/footnotes.

In addition to his consulting and advisory work, Brandon has contributed to leadership development and instructional design through faculty development programs, executive retreats, and curriculum innovation. He has created and facilitated workshops on inclusive pedagogy, strategic planning, and adaptive leadership, helping institutions build internal capacity and foster cultures of accountability and excellence.

He has previously served and chaired executive-level advisory boards focused on economic development, financial education, and workforce transformation. In these roles, he provided strategic oversight for initiatives that delivered measurable returns for communities and institutions. His board experience spans corporate foundations, regional coalitions, and educational nonprofits, where he has helped shape governance models and investment strategies aligned with mission and impact.

Brandon holds a Ph.D. in Administration of Higher Education with a concentration in Organizational Theory and Leadership, a Master of Education in Adult Learning Systems, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Auburn University. His executive development includes the Harvard Business School Young American Leaders Program, the NADOHE CDO Fellows Institute, the NADOHE Standards of Professional Practice Institute, and advanced training in data-driven decision-making, partnership strategy, and systems-level transformation.

His leadership philosophy centers on accountability, measurable results, and the principle that strategic partnerships should create shared value for all stakeholders. He believes that economic mobility and institutional resilience require both operational excellence and equitable access to opportunity. His approach combines analytical rigor with practical execution, ensuring that strategy is not only visionary but also actionable and sustainable.

Whether advising boards, scaling systems, or building capabilities across sectors, Brandon brings the strategic clarity, stakeholder fluency, and operational discipline that define world-class leadership in today's dynamic and interconnected landscape.

Post Doc Education and Training

• African American Leadership Academy of Charlotte (2025)

• Dare to Lead™ Trained (2025)

• National Association for Diversity Officers in Higher Education CDO Fellows Program (2022)

• Young American Leaders Program, Harvard Business School (2019)

• National Association for Diversity Officers in Higher Education Standards of Professional Practice Institute (2018)

• Blaze Leadership Institute (2017)

• AABHE Leadership and Mentoring Institute (2015)

• Peabody Professional Institute for Higher Education Management (2014)

Board Memberships and Advisory Roles

• RockwellA.M.E. ZION Church Trustee (2025 – Present)

• Rockwell A.M.E. Zion Church, Co-Chair of Community Development Corporation (2025 – Present)

• Thrive Liberation Community Center, Board Co-Chair (2024 – 2025)

• Commission on Economic and Community Engagement (Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities), Liaison (2023 - 2025)

• NADOHE Carolinas Chapter, Founding Vice Chair (2021 - 2024)

• Auburn University College of Education National Alumni Council, Board Member (2021 - 2024)

• STREAM Innovations, Board of Advisors (2019 – 2022)

• Urban Impact, Inc., Board of Directors and Economic Development Chair (2019 – 2022)

• UAB Academic Small Business Alliance, Advisory Board Member and Board Consultant (2018 – 2021)

• Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Affinity Board Member (2018 – 2021)

• UAB McNair Scholars, Advisory Board (2018 – 2021)

• UAB Medicine Healthcare Equality Index, Advisory Board (2018 – 2021)

• Regions Bank Institute for Financial Education (RIFE), Board of Directors (2017 – 2020)

• Center for Urban Education, Advisory Board (2015 – 2017)

• UAB Medicine Graduate Health Advisory Board, Chair (2014 – 2016)

Review Board & Expert Appointments

• Chief Diversity Officer Toolkit (Chair), National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (2020 - 2022)

• Manuscript Reviewer, U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (2019 )

• Manuscript Reviewer, Journal of Sport & Social Issues (2018)

• Founding Editor, Journal for the Study of Post-Secondary and Tertiary Education (2015 - 2021)

• Editorial Review Board, The Journal of HBCU Research + Culture (2015 - 2021)

• Manuscript Reviewer, Review of Educational Research (2014 - 2024)

• Group on Diversity and Inclusion, Association of American Medical Colleges (2014 - 2016)

Faculty & Teaching Roles

• Ad Hoc Graduate Faculty/ Adjunct Faculty, Department of Human Studies, School of Education, The University of Alabama at Birmingham (2021 - 2024)

• Faculty Associate, College of Arts and Sciences, African American Studies, The University of Alabama at Birmingham (2021 - 2022)

• Diversity Education Trainer, The University of Alabama at Birmingham

• Instructor, Heersink School of Medicine (2020 - 2021)

• GED Instructor, Limestone County Correctional Facility (2013)

• Instructor, Educational Foundations, Leadership and Technology, Auburn University Main Campus (2007 - 2011)