1. OBJECTIVE
I am a Nairobi, Kenya-based analyst/consultant and academic working in a variety
of sectors. I have expertise in consulting, academia, proposals, research and
business/management. I am also the founder and co-owner of Ommundsen &
Cannon, a unique consulting firm offering a truly global approach and consulting
staff. It is my hope that my unique background and my consulting firm’s expertise
will be an excellent match for a variety of professional clients and potential
employers.
QUALIFICATIONS AND SPECIALTIES
I possess a Ph.D. in Political Science and have a deep and abiding interest in the
wider East Africa region (to include the Horn of Africa), and follow political, social
and economic developments closely. This is coupled with significant research
experience to include work on the Middle East, Turkey, Central Asia, Islam and
politics and the causes and factors influencing conflict in these areas. Added to this
is my management experience in the business/consulting/academic world. This
compliments my linguistic skills and my willingness to work long hours, improvise
and travel, and learn on the job. I have expertise the following key areas:
 Expertise in research consultancy, field studies and grant writing for both
academic and for-profit purposes
 Eight years of professional business development and consulting
experience and over 15 years of research and research consultancy
 Expertise in International Relations (IR), Diplomacy, Comparative Politics,
Crisis Management, Proposal Writing and International Studies
 Excellent ability to communicate core objectives and i nformation to a
wide and varied audience
 Ability to distil large amounts of information in a succinct, digestible and
understandable manner
 Over five years of management and teaching experience.
 Over eight years of experience working with international organizations,
governments, INGOs and NGOs.
 Successful development, implementation and instruction of courses and
training programs in multiple disciplines
 Consultancy on development projects with various US and international
organizations
 Recipient of numerous scholarships, to include the Fulbright-Hays
Scholarship
 Willingness and ability to travel extensively, for extended periods of time
if required
 Demonstrated ability to succeed in academic, non-profit and commercial
environment.
EXPERIENCE
Brendon
J.
Cannon,
Ph.D.
> Owner and Co-Founder
of Ommundsen &
Cannon Consulting
Group
> Political Analyst
> Lecturer
Riverside Drive
Nairobi, Kenya
Website:
www.ommundsen-cannon.com
+254 714 488 716
brendon.cannon@gmail.com
ke.linkedin.com/pub/brendon-j-cannon-
ph-d/6/341/759/

2. Augus t 2014 - present
Ommundsen & Cannon Consulting Group
Nairobi, Brussels, Washington DC, Oslo, Seoul, Vancouver
www.ommundsen-cannon.com
Owner and Co-Founder
Lead Consultant
> Ommundsen & Cannon Consultants is comprised of an expert team possessing
truly global contacts. Our exclusive network provides us with the ability to make
connections, cement deals and transform and contextualize daunting global
challenges into the local, doable and manageable. In short, we get what needs
doing, done. Our unique backgrounds , on-the-ground experience and expertise,
and our strategic alliances translate into our ability to solve multi -faceted
challenges and break-down institutional barriers. We aim to provide excellent
and ethical solutions to governments, individuals, NGOs and companies via our
resources and select pool of consultants.
> Consulting work for major universities and academic institutions in East Africa
and the Horn of Africa
> Public Relations, proposals and outreach work with regional and international
results
> Provide consulting expertise and connections via our global consulting staff
based in Nairobi, Oslo, Washington DC, Seoul, Brussels and Vancouver
Augus t 2014 - present
Independent
Consultant / Political Analyst / Lecturer
> Consulting work with resource extraction companies in the Horn of Africa (HOA)
and East Africa region; in-depth feasibility analysis of fuel storage facilities in
various locations in Somalia
> Consulting, editing and proposal writing - as a neutral party - with various Somali
political groups. Assisting with the development of a basic platform and political
manifesto to contest elections in Somalia scheduled for 2016
> National curriculum development for a unified Somali state
> Consulting with various parties to find a definitive and peaceful sol ution to
governance in Somali territories
> I offer the following products and services to academic institutions and
clientele in concert with, or separate from Ommundsen&Cannon, depending
on the needs and wishes of the client institution:
> Connections (academic and business) across the globe from East Africa, North
America, Europe and East Asia
> Public Relations expertise and savvy
> Academic outreach on a much greater and more successful scale
> Conference organization
> Opportunities for attendance at international conferences by faculty and
students of client institutions

3. > Lecturing in multiple disciplines at the graduate and undergraduate levels, to
include political science, social science, history, languages, literature, English,
etc.
> Connections to universities across the globe. I plan to develop and foster close
ties – not just online connections – with departments, faculty and alumni
organizations. We hold out the possibility of attaining visiting lecturers and
experts to client institutions.
> Writing skills.
> Curriculum development
> Consulting services
> Thesis and Dissertation advising
> Mentoring skills
> Editing skills
> Assist students and faculty in publishing papers in reputable journals in Africa
and across the globe.
> Consulting, research, writing and publishing with Intercontinental Publishers
Ltd. (IPL) and Kenya Engineer Magazine
> Political analysis, security case study and overall business proposal consulting
with Chambers Federation- Africa - Mining/Construction/Private Investments.
> Consulting work on a volunteer basis for education projects in informal
settlements in Nairobi with multiple NGOs
> Consulting work and curriculum development for Green Innovation project in
the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi. My expertise in curriculum
development, education, the environment and academics is utilized to develop
a completely new teaching and education strategy designed to impart "Green
Innovation" lifestyles, technology and sustainable skills.
> Consulting work with YVE Kenya, SPARE Kenya, YMCA Kenya, JVE International
and Friends of the Earth – Norway.
> Proposal writing and grant writing on a pro bono basis for NGOs in the Nairobi
area.
January 2006 – Augus t 2014
Multiple venues
Consultant / Analyst
> Over eight years of experience as an independent consultant and with Fortune
500 consulting firms that provide professional, scientific and technical solutions
via consulting, research and products
> Consulting with clients regarding best practices, data management, data
analysis and training and mentoring of national and international staff
> Development of training and educational curriculum
> Lead consultant responsible for analysis, translation and dissemination of
informative reports to various national and international actors - to include
NGOs, think tanks, policy makers and businesses.

4. > Investigate and analyze massive amounts of data in an effort to locate crucial
information; create succinct, cohesive and readily intelligible reports and
narratives based on this investigation.
> Instruct interfacing offices regarding our unique mission and its contribution to
effective policy-making and maintenance of national and international peace
and security.
> Analyze and prioritize security-related information from a policy perspective.
> Provide critical analysis and perspective utilizing concrete knowledge and
understanding of geo-political, historical and cultural aspects of the areas of
responsibility
> Author reports after conducting research and analysis
Augus t 2001 – May 2005
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA
Doctoral Student Lecturer and Research Assistant
> Student lecturer in the Middle East Studies Department
> Student lecturer in the Political Science Department
> Lectured in Turkish language
> Lecturer and lecturer's assistant in political science courses
> Specialized in Middle East politics, Islam and politics, identity and ethnicity,
theories of democratization, Turkish and Ottoman history, Central Asian studies
Augus t 1998 – May 2000
Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
Lecturer
> Teacher of English as a second language
> Teacher to adults and high school students
> Continuing education lecturer
EDUCATION
2001 - 2009
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Political Science
> Major: Comparative Politics Minor: International Relations
> Emphasis on security studies, identity and diaspora politics, political theory,
state securitization, democratization and stability, Turkish democracy and
secularism, Central Asia, and the former Soviet Bloc
> Dissertation topic: Diaspora identity; interest and lobbying theory and tactics;
competing nationalisms; Turkish secularism and democracy; transnational
movements; Ottoman history.

5. 1998 - 2001
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT USA
Master of Arts (M.A.) in Middle East Studies & History
> Emphasis on history, nationalism, culture, languages, and politics of Central Asia
and Turkey
> Thesis topic: Business/state relationships; political/economic theory;
cooptation, rentier states and nationalism; Turkish history from the late
Ottoman Empire to the present with particular emphasis on the development of
Turkish democracy and secularism.
1993 - 1995
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT USA
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in European Studies & German
Language
> Emphasis on European nationalism, development of the state, genesis of civil
society and development
> Special thesis on the Northern League and regional disparities in Italy
> Research on the reunification of Germany and regional interaction/attitudes
> Minor in German language and literature
PUBLICATIONS
> Cannon, Brendon J. “Integrating the electricity markets of the East African
Power Pool ,” Kenya Engineer, online publication, 19 November 2014. Available
at
http://kenyaengineer.co.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2
310:integrating-the-electricity-markets-of-the-east-african-power-pool&
catid=97:news&Itemid=567
> Cannon, Brendon J. “Training Somali Engineers,” Kenya Engineer, Nov/Dec 2014,
pages 38-39. Available online, pages 29-30 at
http://issuu.com/kenyaengineer/docs/kenya_engineer_nov-dec_2014
> Cannon, Brendon J. “Kenya Maritime Dispute may jeopardize Oil Exploration”
Kenya Engineer, online publication, 29 September 2014. Available at
http://kenyaengineer.co.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2
227:maritime-dispute-may-jeopardize-exploration-in-kenya&
catid=97:news&Itemid=567
> Cannon, Brendon J. Politicizing History and Legislating Reality: History, Memory
and Identity as Explanations for Armenian Claims of Genocide. Ph.D. diss., Salt
Lake City, UT: Department of Political Science-University of Utah, 2009.
> Cannon, Brendon J. “Uzbekistan” in Stearns, Peter N. Oxford Encyclopedia of the
Modern World: 1750 to the Present. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.

6. > Cannon, Brendon J. Nationalization of Society and Economy in Turkey: Historical
Roots and the Case of the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association.
M.A. Thesis, Salt Lake City, UT: Department of Language and Literature-
University of Utah, 2002.
LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
> Native: English; Intermediate/Advanced: Turkish, Uzbek, German; Beginner:
French, Arabic, Azeri, Uyghur, Kiswahili, Spanish, Persian-Farsi, Dutch
REFERENCES
 Abdi Dahir Dirie
Professor
Advisor of Mogadishu University President for Training & Development
PO Box 2781
Dubai, U.A.E.
Email: dirie100@hotmail.com
info@mogadishuuniversity.com
Tel: +252 593 2454 (office)
+254 725 319 452 (mobile)
 Ayanna Yonemura, Ph.D.
University Lecturer/International Communications Specialist
Communications Director - Intercontinental Publishers Ltd./Kenya Engineer
Magazine
Nairobi, Kenya
Email: communications@kenyaengineer.co.ke
Tel: +254 727 098 669 (office)
 Daniel Huth Ommundsen
Special Advisor
Norges Naturvernvorbund
Young Volunteers for the Environment Kenya
Nairobi, Kenya
Email: daniel@ommundsen.se
Tel: +254 706 394 725 (mobile)
 Dick Bosire Maragia, Ph.D.
Lecturer - University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
Shady Grove Campus
9636 Gudelsky Drive
Rockville, MD 20850 USA
Email: bosiredm@umbc.edu
Tel: +1 302-229-8860 (mobile)