Senior Strategic Leadership.
When the stakes are high.
BRAVE Advisory partners with education and nonprofit organizations as a fractional Chief of Staff, crisis advisor, and strategic thought partner , bringing executive-level experience to the moments that matter most.
Our work is grounded in justice. We partner with leaders and leadership teams who carry real responsibility and understand that decisions, especially in moments of complexity or crisis, have real consequences for people and communities. We work alongside leaders to steady, reinforce, and strengthen their leadership rather than replace it.
About The Work.
Leadership is most clearly revealed in moments of pressure. In education and nonprofit spaces, where decisions are public, values are visible, and the consequences have human impact, the quality of leadership shapes lives.
Crisis, transition, and complexity are not separate from leadership. These are the moments when leadership is tested. BRAVE Advisory exists for those moments. We partner with senior leaders, boards, and leadership teams as strategic advisors, fractional Chiefs of Staff, and crisis thought partners. By integrating justice-centered leadership practice and crisis management expertise, we help organizations navigate their hardest chapters with clarity, integrity, and care when it matters most.
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About BRAVE.
BRAVE Advisory is a strategic advisory practice founded by Dr. Brooke Rios, a senior executive with over 20 years of experience leading education and nonprofit organizations through change, crisis, and growth. Brooke has served as CEO of a multi-site charter school network, navigated organizational mergers and acquisitions, led through prolonged public crises, and supported senior leaders through some of the most complex chapters of their organizational lives.
BRAVE is grounded in justice-centered leadership practice and shaped by deep expertise in equity, governance, crisis management, and organizational strategy. We bring that experience directly to the leaders and organizations we partner with.
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Our Approach
We believe that leaders navigating complexity deserve a trusted, experienced partner in the room; someone who can move fast, think clearly, and help make sound decisions under pressure without losing sight of values and community impact.
Our approach is relational, strategic, and direct. We do not offer frameworks divorced from reality. We work alongside leaders in the actual conditions they are navigating, providing the steadiness, clarity, and strategic support that high-stakes moments demand.
We center justice in everything we do, not as a separate initiative, but as the lens through which all leadership decisions should be made.
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We partner with education and nonprofit organizations navigating complexity, crisis, transition, or growth. Our clients include CEOs, Executive Directors, senior leadership teams, and boards who need experienced strategic support without the overhead of a full-time hire.
We are also available to organizations outside of education that are seeking a fractional Chief of Staff or senior strategic advisor, particularly mission-driven organizations where justice, equity, and community accountability are central to the work.
If your organization is in a hard chapter and you need a trusted thought partner who has been in rooms like yours, that is who we are built for.
Exclusive Services
How We Work Together
BRAVE Advisory offers four core engagement types, each designed to meet organizations where they are — whether navigating an immediate crisis, building leadership capacity over time, needing senior strategic support on a fractional basis, or examining how equity and justice are shaping organizational decisions.
Check out our levels of service below and reach out to Dr. Rios at brooke@braveadvisory.org for an intake call.
One-on-one partnership for leaders who want to lead with greater clarity, confidence, and integrity.
This engagement is designed for senior leaders who are ready to do the personal work that strengthens their leadership from the inside out. Leadership coaching with BRAVE is not about performance management or surface-level skill building. It is about developing the clarity, presence, and decision-making capacity that allows leaders to show up fully, especially when the stakes are high, the terrain is complex, and the pressure is real.
We work with leaders navigating transitions, expanding in their role, managing the weight of high-visibility roles, or seeking a trusted thought partner for the ongoing demands of executive leadership. This work is grounded in justice-centered leadership practice and shaped by deep belief that how leaders lead has real consequences for the people and communities they serve.
All sessions are confidential, one-on-one, and conducted virtually or in person in the Los Angeles area.
Engagement Options:
Single Session
$350 | 60 minutes
For leaders who want to explore the work before committing to a package. One focused session on a specific leadership challenge, decision, or moment.
The Intensive
$1,995 | 6 sessions over 3 months
Designed for leaders navigating a specific transition, challenge, or high-stakes moment. Six focused sessions with brief email support between sessions. Ideal for leaders who want concentrated support within a defined timeframe.
The Foundation
$3,250 | 10 sessions over 5 months
Designed for leaders committed to sustained leadership development and capacity building. Ten sessions with email support between sessions. Ideal for leaders who want a trusted thought partner for the full arc of a leadership season.
Service Level 1: Leadership Coaching
Strategic advisory support for organizations navigating a specific moment, decision, transition, or crisis, especially when leadership and communication must move together.
Some seasons in an organization's life require more than good management. They require disciplined strategy, clear values, and the steadiness to make sound decisions under pressure. This is that engagement.
The Situational Leadership Advisory is designed for education and nonprofit organizations facing a defined high-stakes moment — a crisis, a transition, a governance challenge, a public conflict, or a decision with significant consequences for the communities you serve. We partner closely with senior leaders and leadership teams to provide the strategic clarity, communications guidance, and justice-centered decision-making support the moment demands.
This work combines leadership advisory with communications strategy and stakeholder messaging support, drawing on a vetted network of communications partners when the situation calls for it. Our role is to help your organization navigate the moment with integrity, accountability, and care — and to emerge with your credibility and community trust intact.
Who this is for:
CEOs and Executive Directors navigating an active crisis or high-stakes organizational decision. Leadership teams managing a public conflict, governance challenge, or significant transition. Organizations that need experienced strategic support for a defined period of time.
How it works:
Engagements are scoped to the specific situation and timeline. We begin with a confidential discovery conversation to understand what you are navigating and determine the right structure for the work. Some engagements are short and intensive. Others unfold over several months. We meet the moment where it is.
Service Level 2: Situational Leadership Advisory
Senior strategic and operational support for executive leaders navigating high-demand seasons — without the cost of a full-time hire.
This engagement is for CEOs, Executive Directors, and senior leaders who are carrying significant organizational complexity and need an experienced, trusted partner embedded in their work. Not a consultant who parachutes in with recommendations. A senior-level thought partner who works alongside you — managing strategic priorities, preparing you for high-stakes moments, aligning your team, and making sure the right things get done at the right time.
The Fractional Chief of Staff brings executive-level capacity to your leadership without the overhead of a full-time position. This work includes strategic project management, board and stakeholder preparation, internal team alignment, communications strategy, and sustained advisory support across the full scope of your leadership demands.
Communications and stakeholder messaging support is available as part of this engagement through a vetted partner network when needed.
This engagement is available to education and nonprofit organizations and to mission-driven organizations across sectors.
Who this is for:
Executive leaders managing a high-demand period without senior operational support. CEOs or Executive Directors who need a thought partner embedded in their day-to-day leadership. Organizations navigating growth, restructuring, transition, or sustained complexity that requires consistent senior-level attention.
How it works:
Engagements begin at a three-month minimum and are structured as a monthly retainer. We begin with a discovery conversation to assess fit, scope the work, and establish how we will work together. Every engagement is tailored to the specific demands of your leadership and organization.
Service Level 3: Fractional Chief of Staff Support
Leadership Case Studies
The examples below reflect the kinds of complex, high-stakes situations Brooke Rios has navigated in executive leadership roles and as a consultant. They illustrate the leadership challenges and justice-centered approach that inform how BRAVE. partners with leaders and leadership teams today.
All details have been anonymized.
We’re here. Reach out.
If you are navigating complexity, crisis, transition, or high-stakes leadership decisions, the next step is a conversation.
This confidential, no-pressure discovery call is an opportunity to share what you’re navigating and determine whether working together is the right fit.
If you are experiencing an active or time-sensitive crisis, please note that when reaching out so we can respond appropriately.