Rice Alum Brandy Hays Morrison Joins Posse National Board
Brandy Hays Morrison, a member of Rice University’s inaugural Posse cohort, has joined The Posse Foundation’s National Board of Directors. She is the fourth Posse alum—and the first female Posse alumna—to serve in this leadership role.
An engineer by training, a public-sector technology executive by experience, and CEO of Concord Consulting, a firm dedicated to helping federal contractors build sustainable success, Brandy joins the Board at a pivotal time for the organization. With more than 14,000 Scholars and over $2.4 billion in leadership scholarships awarded, Posse continues to cultivate the next generation of leaders poised to shape government, industry, and global impact.
Raised on Manhattan’s Lower East Side in a family deeply rooted in federal public service, Morrison was 17 when she was selected for Rice University’s inaugural engineering Posse cohort, a model designed to support students with exceptional strengths in math, science, and leadership.
“I didn’t know what an engineer was,” Brandy recalls. “But Posse saw something in me before I had the language for it. That belief became the catalyst for how I lead, how I serve, and how I show up for others.”
The transition from New York City public schools to one of the nation’s leading private engineering programs was transformational. Supported by her Posse, Brandy found her voice and discovered her strengths: bridging technical and non-technical teams, solving complex challenges, and building community wherever she went.
After earning her engineering degree, Brandy launched her career at Compaq (later Hewlett-Packard) as a software engineer before moving into public-sector consulting at IBM and Accenture where she supported federal agencies in Washington, D.C. She also led public sector IT efforts in Canada, Sweden, Bulgaria, and the United Kingdom, deepening her expertise in global technology.
The model works because it ensures no young leader rises alone.
Brandy earned her MBA from Rice’s School of Business, where she co-founded both the International Club and the Black Business Student Association.
Her commitment to community followed her into her professional life. Most notably, she co-founded the Digital Services Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating digital transformation across government organizations. Recognizing the need to elevate women in the Federal IT space, Brandy co-founded the Digital Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Alliance.
She recently completed a four-year term as a Rice University trustee in June 2025, becoming only the third Black woman to serve in that capacity in Rice’s 134-year history. Brandy has spent more than two decades championing public-service leadership, an ethos she attributes to her parents, aunts and uncles, many of whom built careers in federal service.
“Service is part of my DNA,” she says. “This appointment isn’t just an honor; it’s a responsibility to expand pathways for the next generation of leaders.”
Her own Rice Posse cohort remains committed to the organization, even 30 years later. Among the ten members of her group, three now serve in major board leadership roles within Posse, including Brandy on the National Board.
Brandy joins four other Posse alumni on the National Board: Brandeis University alum Daniel Acheampong, the co-founder and partner of Visible Hands; Middlebury College alum Koby Altman, the president of basketball operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers; Vanderbilt University alum Marvin B. Figueroa, the vice president for health and life sciences practice of BGR Group; and Brandeis University alum Nana Sarpong, Orthopedic Surgeon at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
As a Board member, Brandy will help guide the organization at a national scale, supporting its mission to identify, develop, and launch exceptional young leaders.
“I believe deeply in what Posse stands for,” she says. “The model works because it ensures no young leader rises alone. I’m committed to paying that forward.”
