Organizational & Government Strategy Consulting

We build the systems organizations run on — and the government strategy that moves them forward.

Kenner Consulting designs organizational systems for nonprofits, public bodies, and institutions that need to translate decisions into consistent execution — and delivers government engagement strategy and lobbying representation for companies, associations, and any organization with a stake in the legislative or regulatory process.

Governance
System Design

We design the structure that defines how decisions are made, documented, and governed — and the systems that ensure those decisions execute — for nonprofits at formation, organizations formalizing after rapid growth, and public bodies and commissions that need governance built for accountability.

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Government
Interface Strategy

We help organizations navigate the government environment — legislative engagement, regulatory positioning, stakeholder mapping, and advocacy strategy for companies, associations, nonprofits, and institutions that need to shape policy, manage regulatory exposure, or advance their interests before the legislature and relevant agencies.

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About

Governance systems and government strategy —
built to move organizations forward.

Kenner Consulting delivers two distinct services. For executive directors, nonprofits, and board-governed institutions ready to build organizational systems that translate direction into consistent execution, we design the structure — clear roles, defined decision authority, and the processes that make it hold. For private companies, associations, and any organization with legislative or regulatory exposure, we deliver government engagement strategy and direct lobbying representation — without requiring governance work as a prerequisite.

Governance design engagements

Every governance engagement begins with a 2–3 week diagnostic assessment. Our proprietary audit methodology and purpose-built software ensure findings are structured, documented, and reproducible — not dependent on any single analyst's judgment on any given day. The assessment drives everything that follows.

Government strategy engagements

Government strategy engagements begin with a strategy conversation — a focused assessment of your legislative landscape, regulatory exposure, and stakeholder environment. From there we build the engagement plan, identify the right relationships, and move. Direct lobbying representation is provided by Brian Kenner and Senior Advisor Howard A. Kenner.

Who we work with

Public authorities and agencies, housing and transit bodies, education systems, workforce development networks, nonprofits at formation or scaling stages, large nonprofits with government funding, quasi-government entities, and private companies and associations navigating the legislative and regulatory environment. Nationwide.

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Organizational Systems Design

Execution doesn't happen by accident.
It's the product of clear roles, defined authority, and systems that hold.

Most nonprofit leaders know what their organization is supposed to do. The harder problem is building the systems that make it happen consistently — clear roles, defined decision authority, documented processes, and accountability structures that hold up when resources are thin or leadership changes. We work alongside executive directors and leadership teams who are ready to stop working around the gaps and start building something that lasts.

Clear authority at every level

When decision rights are defined from board to staff, everyone operates with confidence. No one is overstepping or waiting for permission that should already be theirs.

Decisions that don't disappear after the meeting

Clear ownership and accountability structures ensure that what gets decided actually gets done — by the right person, on the right timeline.

Structure built for how you actually operate

Whether you're managing government contracts, thin staff capacity, or public oversight, your systems need to be designed for your real constraints — not borrowed from a template.

Commitments tracked to completion

A system for tracking decisions to completion keeps critical commitments moving after the meeting ends. The board moves on. The system keeps pace.

Organizations that don't depend on any one person

Systems built around roles and processes rather than individuals absorb staff transitions, leadership changes, and growth without losing institutional knowledge or momentum.

Funding accountability rewards structure

Government funders and oversight bodies increasingly expect documented governance. Organizations that can demonstrate it are better positioned to compete for and retain funding.

Formation & Launch  ·  Scaling & Formalization  ·  Structural Realignment  ·  Operational Systems Review  ·  Decision Execution Alignment  ·  Biannual Check-ins

Engagements start at $2,500

Ready to build governance systems that execute?

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Government Interface Strategy

Effective government engagement starts
before the decision is on the table.

Every organization that intersects with government has interests at stake — in legislation, regulation, and funding cycles. Whether you're a company managing regulatory exposure, an association advancing member priorities, or a nonprofit navigating public funding, effective government engagement requires the same thing: a clear strategy and relationships built before the ask is made.

Legislative engagement strategy

Shaping legislation requires involvement before the bill is drafted. We help you understand the landscape, identify the right relationships, and position your organization to be in the room before the vote is scheduled.

Lobbying representation

Direct representation before the Illinois General Assembly through Brian Kenner and Senior Advisor Howard A. Kenner — former State Representative and 20+ year government affairs specialist. Advancing priority legislation and protecting client interests when legislation poses a threat.

Stakeholder mapping & outreach planning

Knowing who matters, in what order, and with what message is the difference between productive government engagement and wasted effort. We map the landscape and build the outreach plan before the first conversation happens.

Regulatory environment analysis

A single regulatory change can reshape an entire operating environment. We analyze the regulatory landscape relevant to your organization so you stay ahead of change rather than reacting to it.

Nationwide  ·  Deep roots in Illinois & Chicago

Ready to get started with Kenner Consulting?

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Our Team
Brian Kenner

Brian Kenner

MPA · Founder & Principal · Chicago, IL ↗ linkedin.com/in/briankennermpa

Brian Kenner has spent his career inside the machinery of governance — not observing it from the outside. As a former legislative staffer for the Illinois House of Representatives and former Deputy Director of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, he has operated at every level of the governance and execution process — analyzing legislation in Springfield and building the operating infrastructure of a newly formed, high-scrutiny public oversight body in Chicago under real political and regulatory pressure.

He brings deep expertise in governance system design, decision authority architecture, and the structural dynamics of organizations that operate under public scrutiny and government constraint. His work across public agencies, oversight bodies, and government-adjacent institutions gives him direct insight into where governance systems need strengthening — and how to build them right.

Brian holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Illinois and completed Mediation Skills Training at Northwestern University.

Senior Advisor — Government Interface Strategy

For government interface strategy engagements, Brian is supported by Senior Advisor Howard A. Kenner — former Illinois State Representative and 20+ year government affairs specialist before the Illinois General Assembly.

Howard A. Kenner

Howard A. Kenner

CPA  ·  Senior Advisor  ·  Chicago, IL

Howard A. Kenner has spent more than 25 years in Springfield building a well-earned reputation as a creative and tenacious government affairs strategist. Representing clients across Energy, Gaming, Finance, and Education, his work spans the full range of government affairs — advancing priority legislation and protecting client interests when legislation poses a threat.

Howard arrived in Springfield in 1995 as a State Representative from Chicago's South Side, where he quickly mastered the intricacies of the legislative process. He rose to Chair the Government Administration Committee and served on Insurance, Revenue, and Appropriations — developing the relationships and institutional knowledge that define effective government affairs work.

After leaving the General Assembly, Howard served as Government Affairs Consultant for the Illinois Finance Authority for over a decade. During that time, he shepherded the passage of major legislation for the State of Illinois — including Multi-State Financing legislation later replicated in surrounding states — and helped steer more than $6 billion in bonding authority used for the expansion of hospitals, universities, and farm loans across Illinois.

Howard Kenner Governmental Consulting is certified as a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE). Howard holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor's in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana. He is a licensed CPA and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

CPA Harvard Kennedy School MPA Former State Representative IL Finance Authority MBE Certified Government Affairs

Professional references available upon request.

Built from the inside. Ready to work with you.

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Schedule a Discovery Call

A Kenner Consulting discovery call is a 30-minute conversation — no pitch, no pressure. We'll ask about your situation and whether there's a fit. We work with nonprofits, public and quasi-public institutions, and private companies and associations seeking government strategy and lobbying representation — nationwide.