As a political appointee managing public and congressional affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of the Secretary and the Federal Transit Administration, respectively, playing offense and defense at the same time takes certain characteristics: creativity, flexibility, resiliency, and the ability to turn complexity into the comprehensible for the general public.

With issues ranging from the Ebola outbreak in 2014, Takata airbag recalls, rail derailments and explosions, and devastating storms, rapid but thoughtful response substantiated facts to build public confidence was the name of the game.

But there are the good stories, the fun stories: talking about the people and businesses who rely most on sound transportation planning and robust infrastructure investment. Here are a few examples of Brian’s work on behalf of the Obama Administration.