ABOUT
Hi, I'm Brenna, an executive brand architect leading and governing enterprise-wide brand systems that integrate strategy, positioning, AI, and data to drive measurable commercial outcomes.
I've designed unified frameworks that align meaning and messaging across complex organizations, enabling 150+ brands to achieve stronger consistency, relevance, and measurable growth. My work goes beyond campaigns and channel tactics: I build a strategic infrastructure that connects brand to revenue, retention, and long-term market share.
My path to brand architecture is built on practice and theory. Working for non-profits with limited resources gave me the freedom to experiment, iterate, and pressure-test systems until they delivered measurable results, such as 260% more earned media, 3X site traffic, 98% retention, and up to 1400% ROI.
While brand architecture was not my original destination, it is where my curiosity led me. I began my career in ad agencies as an art director, earning my BFA in Advertising Design from the Academy of Art University, where I developed a rigorous foundation in brand strategy and visual communication. A commitment to continuous learning led me to leave agency life in 2006 for freelance work, taking on progressively complex brand challenges across industries.
In 2010, I accepted a three-month contract at the California Museum that evolved into a decade-long role and reshaped my practice entirely. Working within the Museum's mission to inspire Californians through history, arts, and culture gave me the scope to design and pressure-test brand frameworks at a systems level, unifying story, experience, and audience impact. The principles I refined there continue to guide every engagement today.
7 key principles guiding my approach:
1. Brand architecture is a strategic system that drives ROI.
I design unified messaging and meaning across advertising, marketing, and PR, creating structural advantages that deliver measurable financial outcomes.
2. Alignment is a strategic discipline.
I eliminate silos and create shared clarity that accelerates decision-making, reduces friction, and enables unified execution across teams.
3. Purpose works only when it becomes action.
I connect brand values to data-informed storytelling that turns intention into attention and motivates audiences to engage, purchase, and stay loyal.
4. Craft scales when strengthened by technology.
I combine the rigor of classic brand strategy with AI and digital innovation to deliver creative and operational excellence across brand systems.
5. Constraint turns lean resources into outsized ROI.
I prioritize impact, turning limited budgets into disproportionate returns, including building a donor media program that transformed $20K into $300K in campaign value, delivering 1400% ROI.
6. Co-creation creates stronger solutions.
Collaborative processes accelerate adoption, improve alignment, and generate work that moves KPIs and organizational culture forward.
7. Diversity expands commercial opportunity.
Systems built for multicultural audiences increase recognition, reach, and revenue. With the U.S. nearing a non-white majority demographic by 2045, inclusive brand architecture is a competitive advantage that prepares brands for the shift today.
CERTIFICATIONS & RECOGNITION
Beloved Brands
Mini MBA Certified
Led by Graham Robertson, Top 10 CMO
& Industry Thought Leader
Top 25 Portfolios of Design Leaders & Execs
— Marissa Louie, iOS Lead Designer at
Apple, Expedia, SiriusXM
Artificial Intelligence in Marketing Certified
Top 10% of Cohort; Recommended by former Google Chief Evangelist
SELECT CLIENTS & PARTNERS
Arts & Culture
California Museum
Charles M. Schulz Museum
Film Noir Foundation
Eames Office
Eames Institute of Curiosity
Skirball Cultural Center
Smithsonian Institution
Consumer
Black Angus Steakhouse
E&J Gallo
Go Girl/Nor-Cal Beverage
Redwood Creek Vineyards
Shoei Foods, USA
Pottery World Home Décor
Tower Records
Enterprise & Public Sector
Coit Services, Inc.
Dine Marketing
Maloof Sports & Entertainment
Mercedes-Benz USA
Milgard Windows
Offices of Governor Gavin Newsom & First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom
RESUME HIGHLIGHTS
Experience
Brand Architect & Strategist
Consultant | 2022-Present | Remote
Brand Communications & Marketing Director
CASBO | 2023-2025 | Hybrid
Brand Director
California Museum | 2010-2021 | Hybrid
Early Brand Advertising Creative Experience
Various | Hybrid
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Major: Advertising Design (Art Direction)
Minor: Copywriting
Academy of Art University
Enterprise Systems
CRM & AI Personalization:
Salesforce, Pardot, HubSpot
Responsive UX/UI:
Webflow, WordPress, Drupal
Intelligence:
Microsoft Power BI, GA4
Asset Management:
Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Frontify
AdTech:
Google, Meta, Nielsen