About Brian O'Hara
Authority Earned
Under Fire.
Brian O'Hara is a nationally recognized thought leader, keynote speaker, and executive advisor whose insights on crisis leadership, organizational transformation, and high-stakes decision-making have been sought by executives, institutions, and national media alike.
Executive Advisor • Keynote Speaker • Board Advisor • Organizational Consultant • National Media Contributor
On the Line in Minneapolis
Brian O'Hara is a nationally recognized voice on crisis leadership, organizational transformation, and executive decision-making under pressure. His perspective is not academic — it was forged over 25 years of leading large, complex organizations through some of the most consequential challenges in American public life.
As Chief of the Minneapolis Police Department, O'Hara led one of the most closely watched institutions in the United States through federal reforms and state oversight, historic staffing shortages, and Operation Metro Surge — an unprecedented federal immigration operation that placed the department at the center of a national debate. Navigating those twelve weeks required crisis leadership, strategic decision-making, interagency coordination, and a steadfast commitment to public safety and public trust under intense national scrutiny. His handling of that moment drew coverage from 60 Minutes, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Newsweek, and The Washington Post.
Prior to Minneapolis, O'Hara served as Public Safety Director and Deputy Mayor for the City of Newark, overseeing police, fire, emergency communications, and emergency management. He managed a public safety budget exceeding $225 million and supervised more than 2,000 employees — while leading Newark's nationally recognized police reform effort, one of the most closely watched consent decree implementations in the country.
Today, through the O'Hara Leadership Group, Brian advises executives and organizations navigating disruption, transformation, and high-stakes decision-making. He brings the same clarity, discipline, and hard-won judgment that defined his public career to every engagement — whether on stage before thousands, in the boardroom with a leadership team, or advising an organization through its most difficult moment.
Areas of Expertise
National Media
60 Minutes · PBS Firing Line · The New York Times · The Atlantic · Newsweek · Washington Post · Wall Street Journal
Leadership Scale
$225M+ budget · 2,000+ person workforce · Federal oversight navigation · 25 years executive leadership
Credentials
Harvard Kennedy School · FBI National Executive Institute · FBI National Academy
Every decision has a context.
A few are truly unprecedented.
Perspective
Lessons That
Transfer Everywhere.
The challenges Brian navigated — institutional collapse, workforce fracture, federal oversight, national media scrutiny, and operational crisis — are not unique to policing. They are the defining challenges of modern executive leadership, in every sector and at every scale.
His frameworks for crisis decision-making, organizational transformation, and rebuilding trust translate directly to the boardroom, the crisis room, and every high-pressure leadership moment in between. That is what makes his perspective valuable — not just what he knows, but what he has actually done.
The most consequential leadership decisions are made under conditions of uncertainty, public scrutiny, and institutional stress. That is exactly where I have spent my career.
— Brian O'Hara
Annunciation School Response
Crisis Leadership
Executive Summit
Education & Credentials
Rigorous Training.
Real-World Authority.
Harvard Kennedy School
Senior Executives in State & Local Government Program
FBI National Executive Institute
Executive Leadership Program
FBI National Academy
Law Enforcement Leadership
Senior Management Institute for Police
Police Executive Research Forum
Rutgers University – Newark
B.S. & M.S. in Criminal Justice
Career
25 Years. Two Cities.
One Standard.
Newark Police Division
Began his executive leadership career with the Newark Police Division, rising steadily through the ranks over two decades and building the operational and organizational expertise that would define his national profile.
Newark Police Reform
Led the successful implementation of Newark's consent decree and reform agenda — one of the most closely watched police reform efforts in the country — establishing a national model for organizational transformation under federal oversight.
Public Safety Director & Deputy Mayor, Newark
Oversaw police, fire, emergency communications, and emergency management for the City of Newark. Managed a public safety budget exceeding $225 million and supervised more than 2,000 employees. Played a central role in Newark's nationally recognized reform efforts and drove continued reductions in violent crime while strengthening community trust.
Chief of Police, Minneapolis Police Department
Appointed following a nationwide search to lead one of the most scrutinized police agencies in the United States. Navigated simultaneous federal and state oversight, historic staffing shortages, national media attention, and Operation Metro Surge — an unprecedented federal immigration operation that tested every dimension of crisis leadership. Under his tenure, the department stabilized, reformed, and drove substantial reductions in violent crime.
Founder, O'Hara Leadership Group
Now a nationally recognized keynote speaker, executive advisor, and thought leader, Brian brings more than two decades of front-line executive leadership to organizations navigating disruption, transformation, and high-stakes decision-making. His work has been featured on 60 Minutes, PBS Firing Line, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Newsweek, and The Washington Post.
Work With Brian
Ready to Bring This
Perspective to Your Organization?
Brian works with a select number of organizations each year — as a keynote speaker, executive advisor, or organizational consultant. Reach out to start the conversation.