Briana Anderson - Cornell University

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Born and raised in California’s state capitol, Sacramento, on December 23,
1977 to a psychologist father and political consultant mother, Briana K. Anderson
grew up in a politically active and socially conscious environment.
After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (magna cum laude) in
June of 2000 from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, she
worked for two years as a management analyst for KPMG Consulting in its Public
Services practice. During her tenure at KPMG Consulting, she served a number of
public clients and travel and worked in such interesting places as Guam, Alaska, and
(her favorite city in the US) San Francisco. Her projects ranged from learning the
ropes on a business process reengineering projects to managing a public outreach
campaign for a federal loan program. She also ran a marathon and raised money for
the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and enjoyed the sights and scenes of Northern
California.
In working with clients providing business advice, she was most interested in
helping clients resolved communication-based problems, such as communication with
internal or external stakeholders. She realized that this was her passion, and set off to
Cornell to further her knowledge in this area and sharpen her analytical skills. With
an original interest in social marketing (a mix of her public policy background and
interest in marketing communications), she became more interested in image-building
and corporate social responsibility as her time at Cornell continued. Whether that
means she will work for a non-profit trying to increase its funding, a corporation
trying to rebuild its image, or an agency helping clients communicate better with
stakeholders, she is not quite sure yet, but looks forward to the next phase of her
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