BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE
At the Tomhave Group Brandy’s responsibilities include: political and legal analysis of complex social justice issues in rural and tribal communities; multidimensional strategies for public policy change and implementation, including targeted media communications, legislative advocacy, and community education; lobby U.S. Congress and State Legislatures for necessary earmarks and authorizations; writing legislation, testimony, briefing packets, grant proposals, and reports; facilitate national conferences on public health, criminal justice, economic development, telecommunications and community infrastructure initiatives; consult multi-jurisdictional stake holders on how to design and implement sustainable collaborations for mutual benefit, minimum cost and maximum effect; and train local governments, federal agencies, and national organizations about social entrepreneurship, the Federal budget process, and Federal Indian Law.
Prior to the Tomhave Group, Brandy represented the Navajo Nation President before Congress and Federal agencies; presented legislative updates to the Navajo Nation Tribal Council about how Congressional decisions impacted economic and cultural interests of the Navajo people; trained the Navajo Nation’s Executive and Legislative Branch about how the annual federal budget and legislative process work; and organized historic tribal energy development event at the World Bank.
Brandy also served as Criminal Justice Director at the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors where she directed the mental health component of the Mental Health Consensus Project, a landmark initiative coordinated by the Council of State Governments to help local, state, and federal policy makers and criminal justice and mental health professionals improve their response to people with mental illness; facilitated group authorship of the mental health section of Consensus Report; and trained Directors of State Mental Health Programs about the criminal justice system.
Brandy also served as a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Congressman Ted Strickland (D-OH), now the Governor of Ohio, where she wrote and shepherded to passage H.R. 2594 , America’s Law Enforcement and Mental Health Project, which became Public Law 106-515, the enabling legislation that authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice to fund counties and tribes to create Mental Health Courts; wrote the Congressman’s opinion editorials about mental health and criminal justice issues; represented the Congressman in town hall forums on mental health and criminal justice; and staffed the Congressman to support his membership on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Brandy’s Public Presentations:
National Press Club, February 2007. Spoke at the on behalf of the Indigenous People’s Task Force to help announce historic new advocacy coalition dedicated to educating Congress about how the HIV/AIDS epidemic is disproportionately impacting minority communities.
Equal Justice Works Conference, October 2006. Spoke to Law School Administrators about “Careers in Legislative Advocacy.”
U.S. Dept. of Justice Community Capacity Development Conference, August 2005. Presented at two separate sessions: Mental Health Courts in Indian Country and Infrastructures for Economic Development in Indian Country.
Sequoia Seminar for Native American Women Leaders, May 2005. Conducted workshop for elected tribal officials on how to penetrate the federal budget process.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, November 2001. Presented tribal recommendations for toxicology and public health communication to the Board of Scientific Counselors.
National Association of State Mental Health Directors, December 2000. Spoke to Medical Directors Council about how to achieve better treatment outcomes by coordinating local public health, social service and criminal justice services through data sharing and other collaborative protocols.
American Bar Association, July 2000. Spoke on panel about “Mental Health Courts: A Jurisprudent Therapy Perspective.”
Brandy’s Writing:
Testimony on Tribal Road Maintenance, before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Oversight Hearing on Transportation Issues In Indian Country, July 2007, by the Navajo County Board of Supervisors of Navajo County, Arizona.
Testimony on the Needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives with HIV/AIDS, before the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, January 2006., for the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center.
Testimony on the Tribal Energy Self-Sufficiency Act and the Native American Energy Development and Self-Determination Act, before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, March 2003, by the Director of the Navajo Nation Division of Natural Resources, Arvin Trujillo.
Testimony on Tribal Transportation Needs, before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, June 2003, by Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, Jr..
Testimony on the Challenges of the Indian Reservation Road Program, before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, October 2002, by Navajo Nation Council Delegate Andrew Simpson.