Meet Bryan

Bryan and his wife, Claudia, live in Newtonville with their two dogs, Shotzy and Seven. They moved to Newton while Bryan was attending nearby Boston College Law School and Claudia was running her small business. They fell in love with the community and are excited to be starting a family here this summer.

Bryan first got involved in public service at the national level working for Barack Obama’s campaign for president. Bryan packed up all of his belongings in a van and moved across the country to Chicago to help Obama’s campaign develop its groundbreaking social media strategy. Following that, he continued his political career as the Internet Communications Director for New Mexico Senator Tom Udall.

That work led Bryan to found his own small web consulting business, providing web development and strategic services to progressive non-profit organizations such as Conservation International, US-AID, and the International Rescue Committee.

After several years in business and a lot of soul searching, Bryan decided to pursue a career in public policy by attending Boston College Law School. He has since served as the Policy Director for Warren Tolman's Campaign for Massachusetts Attorney General, and currently works in the state legislature as General Counsel for Senate President Emerita Harriette Chandler.

Bryan serves as the chief adviser to the State Senate President Emerita on all legal and policy matters. In this role, he has helped develop major legislation to fight climate change, put a price on carbon, protect reproductive rights through the ACCESS and ROE Acts, reform our criminal justice system—for example by ending automatic license suspension for drug crimes, provide services to unaccompanied homeless youth, secure a $15 minimum wage and paid family medical leave, and expand access to transportation.

Bryan has chosen to dedicate his life to public service. Outside of his work at the statehouse, Bryan is currently involved with the following civic organizations:

• Newton Human Rights Commission, Commissioner

• Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA), Board 

• Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), Community Council 

• New Art Center, Board of Governors

• Progressive Newton, Chapter Co-Lead

• Bay State Stonewall Democrats, Board

• Newton for Biden, Co-Chair

• Newton Democratic City Committee, Executive Committee

• Democratic State Committee, Executive Committee

• Day Middle School, School Council

• Green Newton, Member

• League of Women Voters of Newton, Member

• Engine 6, Member

Bryan’s family shared the struggles of many, and these experiences helped shape his deep commitment to civil rights and public service. His grandfather was the child of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Russia. Although he eschewed college to help his mother care for his siblings, he was able to build a business from the ground up and instilled in Bryan the importance of family and of hard work.

As a child and young adult, Bryan personally experienced living with multiple family members’ significant mental health struggles including depression, drug abuse, homelessness, imprisonment, and suicide. He understands all too well what it is like to get a phone call in the middle of the night from a family member in desperate need of help, and how difficult it is for many of us to navigate our healthcare and legal systems when dealing with mental health issues.

As an adult, Bryan has continued his journey by becoming re-connected with his Jewish faith and coming out as an openly bisexual man. Bryan understands the complexities that come with living a full life, as a son, as a brother, as a husband, balancing work obligations and family time, and still finding time to pick up his guitar and shoot hoops with his brother.

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