Brett Gibson brings more than 20 years of experience in trade, manufacturing, industrial policy, and international relations to the Wessel Group. Prior to joining the Wessel Group, Brett served as the Government Affairs Representative at the AFL-CIO on trade and manufacturing from 2006 to 2023, where he navigated issues through Congress and the Administration. His resume includes work on numerous Free Trade Agreements over the past two decades, supply chain resiliency, Buy American, Trade Adjustment Assistance, outbound investment, and reshoring jobs to the United States. He worked extensively on negotiations for the United States Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement (USMCA), particularly around the groundbreaking Rapid Response Mechanism on labor rights. He worked on behalf of labor in support of the CHIPS Act of 2022.
Brett also serves as a cleared advisor for the Labor Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations and Trade Policy (LAC) to the Department of Labor and USTR.
Prior to joining the AFL-CIO, Brett worked as Legislative Counsel for then-Representative, now Senator, Sherrod Brown of Ohio. In that capacity he managed a broad portfolio on trade, manufacturing, labor, international relations, defense, and security issues.
He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and earned his Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, Illinois. He is a member of the Maryland Bar. Brett grew up in Naperville, IL and resides with his family in Northern Virginia.