People
Carole Brennan
Carole Brennan
Principal
Government Law & Strategies
Carole Brennan
Principal
Government Law & Strategies
Carole Brennan is a Principal in Brown Rudnick’s Government Law and Strategies Group in the Boston office. She brings a uniquely integrated set of government affairs and media skills, and has substantial crisis management, strategic communications, community relations and political affairs experience.
Prior to joining Brown Rudnick, Carole was Director of External Affairs for the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), where she managed the public agency’s advertising, marketing and media operations as well as community and government relations. Carole also worked closely with the CEO on real estate and development matters.
From 2000 to 2003, Carole served as Press Secretary to The Honorable Thomas M. Menino, Mayor of the City of Boston. In this role, she worked as an advisor to the Mayor and his Cabinet on all matters related to strategic communications. Carole was the city’s primary spokesperson and acted as the chief media liaison, overseeing press conferences and major media events.
Before entering city government, Carole enjoyed a successful career as a newspaper publisher and journalist. In the late ‘90s, she was executive publisher for Community Newspaper Company’s urban newspaper group, and prior to that she was Director of Business Development for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Carole worked for several major media organizations and spent several years in overseas media development in emerging democracies, primarily in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and Latin America.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
- LeadBoston Class of 2000, National Conference for Community & Justice (NCCJ)
- International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF)
- Advisory Board, The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service, Suffolk University
- Founder and Member of the Board of Directors, Independent Journalism Center, Chisinau, Moldova
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- Board of Directors, Boston World Partnerships. Involved since start-up of this new non-profit organization centered around a social networking concept. It was created by Mayor Thomas M. Menino to raise global awareness of Boston as one of the world's foremost centers of intellectual capital and innovation, offering tremendous competitive advantages to growth-minded businesses.
- Co-Founder and Chair, Board of Advisors, GRLZ.radio.org, Dorchester. GRLZ Radio is an anti-violence program that helps teenage girls find their voices and the courage to express them while learning the technical aspects of producing webcasted radio.
- Board of Advisors, Civic Initiative, Donahue Institute; Office of the President, University of Massachusetts – Amherst
- Co-Chair of the City of Boston’s Annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration & the Annual African-American Achievement Awards
- Advisory Board, Knight International Press Fellowship program, International Center for Journalists, 1997-2005; Knight Fellow, 1994-1995 Chisinau, Moldova; 1996 Latin America