Brian Hennessy grew up in a low-income, gang-impacted neighborhood in Gilroy, where he learned to endure the struggle of poverty through the inspiration of his Spanish-speaking mother, who immigrated here from Mexico City. Brian’s father, a gang foreman on the railroad, worked hard to send Brian to Bellarmine College Preparatory (Class of 1997), which allowed him to escape the danger and negative influence of his neighborhood. He went on to graduate from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in Finance (magna cum laude in three years) and become a lawyer, graduating from Santa Clara’s School of Law at the age of 23 (summa cum laude, Number 3 in the class). During his first year of practicing law in San Francisco at Thelen Reid & Priest LLP, Brian was diagnosed with cancer (non-Hodgkins Lymphoma). While undergoing chemotherapy in 2004, Brian took a personal Vow to devote his life to the service of others. Since taking his Vow, he has tirelessly worked to provide a better life for underprivileged and at-risk youth throughout the Bay Area, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars both by fundraising and giving his own money. He is the Chairman of the Board and founder of The Council of Goodness and works with at-risk and underprivileged youth throughout the Bay Area, including east Palo Alto, east San José, and San Francisco. Brian is currently an attorney at Perkins Coie LLP http://www.perkinscoie.com/bhennessy/.
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Brian Hennessy grew up in a low-income, gang-impacted neighborhood in Gilroy, where he learned to endure the struggle of poverty through the inspiration of his Spanish-speaking mother, who immigrated here from Mexico City. Brian’s father, a gang foreman on the railroad, worked hard to send Brian to Bellarmine College Preparatory (Class of 1997), which allowed him to escape the danger and negative influence of his neighborhood. He went on to graduate from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in Finance (magna cum laude in three years) and become a lawyer, graduating from Santa Clara’s School of Law at the age of 23 (summa cum laude, Number 3 in the class). During his first year of practicing law in San Francisco at Thelen Reid & Priest LLP, Brian was diagnosed with cancer (non-Hodgkins Lymphoma). While undergoing chemotherapy in 2004, Brian took a personal Vow to devote his life to the service of others. Since taking his Vow, he has tirelessly worked to provide a better life for underprivileged and at-risk youth throughout the Bay Area, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars both by fundraising and giving his own money. He is the Chairman of the Board and founder of The Council of Goodness and works with at-risk and underprivileged youth throughout the Bay Area, including east Palo Alto, east San José, and San Francisco. Brian is currently an attorney at Perkins Coie LLP