Sessions: Authentic Public Narrative
Brent Colburn, currently the Vice President for Global Public Affairs at Microsoft, has spent the past two decades working in impact driven organizations, including stints in higher education, philanthropy, government, and on numerous political campaigns.
Before joining Microsoft, Mr. Colburn spent six years working in higher education, leading both communications and government affairs first at Princeton University and then at the University of California system.
Mr. Colburn served in a range of leadership roles across the Obama administration, ending his service in the executive branch as the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, the senior public affairs official for the Pentagon and the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense for communication strategy. He has also served as the Chief of Staff at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Director of External Affairs at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).