About Us
With a passion for driving transformative change and guiding organizations toward success,
our experts bring a unique blend of strategic insight, practical expertise, and a global perspective to every client engagement.
General Matt Brand
Brigadier General, USA (Retired) Matt Brand is a specialist in foreign and national security policy. He worked for two decades in senior policy positions with the US Department of Defense (DOD), most recently as the lead of Strategic Plans and Policy for NATO’s Allied Command-Transformation. One of the Army’s most accomplished Foreign Area Officers, General Brand led America’s military activities in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Pakistan. He was DOD’s eyes on the ground during the Russo-Georgian War in 2008.
General Brand currently serves as a Lead Foreign Affairs Subject Matter Expert for developing threat campaign plans for the Threat Emulation Force in support of US Army experimentation. His unique insight into threat nations’ strategic thinking produces realistic conditions for the US to develop and fund the most effective future force.
General Brand has proven record of managing multi-million dollar projects in high-stakes environments, with diverse teams that deliver efficient, high-quality results. He’s an accomplished public speaker with exceptional skills at assessing situations and effectively navigating communications across different cultures.
He served in the Infantry for the first half of his career and was awarded the Sliver Star for gallantry in Operation Desert Storm. He has a B.S in Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy, a Masters in Russian from Stanford University, and a Masters in International Security Policy from the US National War College. General Brand currently lives in Seattle, WA.
Penny Cook
Penny Cook brings over 20 years of business strategy, operational leadership. and development experience to Cook&Brand. She previously served as the Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of the ZoneIn brand, leading operations, sales and marketing, client engagement, and product development. Penny has an extensive background in business and technical consulting leadership, serving as the Chief Product Officer for Windpact, Vice President of Client Engagements for MosierMcCann, and the Vice President of Consulting Services for Cascadeo.
Penny is experienced at developing and leading operations teams, streamlining customer experiences, and building scalable organizations to grow profitability and market share. She has held leadership posts in a variety of industries including technology, telecommunications, and consumer goods. Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft and L’Oreal have been lucky enough to benefit from her strategic acumen. Penny has also served as a strategic advisor for the Seattle Sports Commission and several startup ventures in the Seattle area. She’s completed the start-up-to-IPO journey and the startup-to-sale journey in leadership positions.
An honors graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT, and a native of Philadelphia, Penny has lived in the Seattle area for over 20 years. She is an avid runner with three marathons to her credit, and is most proud of the three boys who call her mom.
