Brennon Marcano

Brennon Marcano is the chief executive officer of The National GEM Consortium. He has over 20 years of experience in the private and nonprofit sectors. His leadership experience spans multiple industries, primarily financial services, technology, and media and entertainment.

Prior to joining GEM, he was the executive director of the Council of Urban Professionals, a non-profit whose vision is to seek parity at the highest levels of business and civic engagement. During his two-years at CUP, the organization grew its corporate partnerships by 50%, had its most financially successful gala, placed a record number of diverse individuals on boards, and had a promotion rate of over 40% within one year for program participants. Prior to CUP, he was the executive director of Workforce Opportunity Services (WOS), an innovative non-profit. Under his leadership over a nine-year period, the organization grew into an entity with a budget of over $10 million operating in nine states (19 cities) and internationally in France (under the name SociaLift).

At Prudential, Brennon undertook progressively challenging assignments and held technology leadership roles for over a decade. He was in charge of the firm’s IT portfolio management tool used by the Corporate Chief Information Officer for critical decision-making.

Brennon was the editor in chief at CLASS (Caribbean Latin American Sights and Sounds) magazine, later known as Black Diaspora magazine.

Brennon holds a master’s degree in technology management from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in business journalism from Baruch College. He is an adjunct assistant professor at NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Brennon lives in Harlem, New York, where he is very active in the community serving as a baseball coach for the Harlem Little League and a basketball coach at the Harlem YMCA.