Brett Ewer

Overview

Brett is a seasoned government relations and public affairs professional with a decade of experience in government relations, business strategy, public affairs, crisis communications, reputation management, and strategic communications.

Brett joined Michael Best Strategies from CrossFit, the world's largest gym chain, where he served as the Head of Government Relations, leading a global team influencing policies at the local, state, federal, and international levels. Brett also served as the company’s spokesman for public affairs and counseled the company on emerging government and PR issues. In 2020, he founded and led the Community Gyms Coalition, representing 20,000 gyms, to advocate for federal aid during the COVID pandemic. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, NBC News, Politico, The Hill, Business Insider, The Denver Post and Washington Examiner.

Prior to his role with CrossFit, Brett worked at the Podesta Group, a prominent bipartisan lobbying and public affairs firm, advancing the interests of Fortune 50 companies, national trade associations, and advocacy coalitions.

Brett joined the private sector after serving in a variety of roles for Democratic offices on Capitol Hill, including the offices of U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), and U.S. Representative William Keating (D-Massachusetts).

Experience

• Built a bipartisan coalition to defeat legislation threatening a geopolitically sensitive food commodity representing nearly half of a major client's revenue, then secured regulatory exemptions to protect the supply chain.
• Led crisis communications strategy for a private company facing serious misconduct allegations during an active sale process, identifying threats, developing counternarrative, and deploying third-party validators to successfully close the transaction.
• Secured $44 million in combined federal awards for an energy sector client through congressional engagement, public announcement strategy, and targeted media placement in a competitive funding environment.
• Blocked a burdensome federal regulation carrying eight-figure fine exposure by securing targeted appropriations language that convinced the agency to abandon the rule entirely.