Brian Ellner is the GM for Corporate & Public Affairs at Edelman. Brian is a strategic counselor to CCOs, CMOs and senior decision makers at global corporations, nonprofits and foundations. He’s helped organizations such as Lambda Legal and the ACLU execute results-driven visibility and advocacy programs. Ellner was the lead strategist in NY’s marriage equality effort, working for the Human Rights Campaign. He launched New Yorkers for Marriage Equality and a similar effort nationally. Ellner was a senior aide to Mayor Bloomberg. An attorney and native New Yorker, Ellner is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law. Brian’s pro bono work included representation of Freedom to Marry and a class of statewide plaintiffs in a challenge to New York’s school financing system. He also co-authored an amicus brief in the historic Supreme Court case of Lawrence v. Texas. Brian is a 2015 recipient of The ADCOLOR® Advocate Award.