Brendan O’Callaghan - Vice President of Strategic Communications at Alliance for Higher Education

Brendan O’Callaghan, Vice President of Strategic Communications at Alliance for Higher Education

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Chaloner is pleased to announce that Brendan O’Callaghan has joined the Alliance for Higher Education as Vice President of Strategic Communications. Brendan joined the Alliance for Higher Education in January 2026 and was instrumental in managing the communications for the organization’s public launch. In his new role, Brendan will work closely with the leadership team to design and implement a communications strategy, shape media relations and establish a plan for advocacy within the sector and in political domains. Brendan is leading the positioning of the coalition as a go-to resource for information about issues of academic freedom and equity in the higher education sector.

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Previously, Brendan was a Vice President for Higher Education at BerlinRosen, specializing in strategic communications, external affairs, and public affairs, often focusing on social justice and community development issues. Prior to his current role, Brendan was a  cabinet member for Calbright College President and CEO Ajita Talwalker Menon, who was previously President Obama's higher education advisor, and was the Director Of Public Affairs at Sarah Lawrence College. Earlier in his career,  Brendan served five-and-a-half years on the communications team for the University of California President Janet Napolitano, where he worked on significant projects such as UC's lawsuit over the rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The case made its way to the Supreme Court of the United States and received a favorable ruling, affirming, at the time, that DHS's decision to end DACA lacked sound reasoning. 

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