Brandi Colander, Principal, Diverse Asset Managers Initiative

An approachable problem solver, Brandi Colander combines logic and enthusiasm to her work as a principal at the Diverse Asset Managers Initiative, and The Raben Group. Her experience in the government, nonprofit, and corporate sectors allows her to navigate those spaces as a trusted advisor, providing clients with candid counsel and tangible results.

Prior to joining Raben, Brandi was the head of external relations for Charter Communications, supporting their Diversity & Inclusion team. In that role, she was responsible for strategic outreach, stakeholder engagement and philanthropic initiatives for a 100,000 employee corporation.

Brandi served as a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of the Interior, where she advanced regulations for the nation’s four energy development bureaus, and managed government relations and stakeholder engagement. Her career in public service began as the deputy general counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, where she led strategic initiatives and provided counsel on matters ranging from ethics to the National Environmental Policy Act. Before joining the Executive Office of the President, Brandi was an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, where she developed expertise in utility restructuring and renewable energy.

Brandi serves as the chair of the Board of Directors for the District of Columbia’s Green Finance Authority and is on the Leadership Council for the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the Links Incorporated. Brandi is a graduate of the University of Virginia and earned her Master’s degree at Yale University and Juris Doctor at Vermont Law School. She resides in the District of Columbia with her husband, daughter, and obstinate dog.