Federal Contractors | Technology 2023: BRIAN KENNER

HEAD OF HQ2 POLICY, AMAZON.COM, ARLINGTON COUNTY

Published August 30, 2023 by Virginia Business

When Amazon.com was scouting for potential locations for its East Coast HQ2 headquarters years ago, Kenner was Washington, D.C.’s deputy mayor for planning and economic development, a position in which he worked hard to lure the e-tailer to the district, although ultimately Amazon picked nearby Arlington County. Now, Kenner works for the Fortune 500 goliath as head of HQ2’s economic development policy throughout the D.C. metropolitan area.

HQ2 opened its first new office tower in May, one of two towers in its first phase, and 8,000 employees are expected to be at work in Metropolitan Park by early October. Meanwhile, Kenner is also involved with Amazon’s in-kind and monetary donations, which have grown to $161 million across the metro region since 2018, Amazon announced in June. He also is a major player in the company’s plans for affordable housing, transportation, education and workforce training.

Before becoming D.C.’s deputy mayor, Kenner worked as city manager for Takoma Park, Maryland, and he also held management positions at Fannie Mae and Ernst & Young. An Iowa native, he has degrees from the University of Iowa and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

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