Brianna Jackson, PE, PMP, has built her success on a foundation of humility and open-mindedness. With more than two decades of experience in mechanical engineering, during which she has served her country as a civil engineer corps officer with the U.S. Navy, she has maintained a steadfast commitment to continual education and lifelong learning. Ms. Jackson ascribes her triumphs to the hardships she has faced throughout her life and credits her professional longevity to her willingness to seek assistance from others. She is not embarrassed to admit gaps in her knowledge and has worked throughout her career to expand her worldview and grow her skill set. This approach has allowed her to remain adaptable, flexible, and resilient in the face of strategic challenges and developments in her field.
Seeking a transition in her career, Ms. Jackson founded Sonas LLC in 2022, where she offers business advisory services to various organizations. Her work with her firm focuses on improving team cohesion and productivity, empowering organizational leaders, and developing strategies for her clients. She helps organizations set a vision, create a clear mission, and build strategic frameworks for accomplishing their goals. Specifically, Ms. Jackson offers services that identify and eliminate unconscious organizational biases that hold her clients back and sabotage their growth. Believing strongly that her ability to bring out the best in others has been instrumental to her success, she is proud of creating a company that allows her to leverage her talents to assist others. Ms. Jackson is driven to share her unshakable hope for the future with others. The name of her company, “Sonas,” translates to “happiness” in the Irish Gaelic language. To this end, she co-founded Rooted in Resilience of NWFL Inc. in 2024, a community initiative dedicated to empowering local women entrepreneurs through charitable endeavors and fundraising. Ms. Jackson has also excelled as the owner and chief executive officer of CanDo! Consulting since 2020, where she helps organizations maximize the value of their investments in technology and administrative improvements.
Ms. Jackson began her higher education at the U.S. Naval Academy, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering in 2005. In 2013, she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Master of Science in mechanical engineering. Outside of academia, she has remained committed to professional development and was certified as a professional engineer (PE) through the Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists of California in 2015. In addition, Ms. Jackson was designated as an envision sustainability professional (ENV SP) through the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure in 2017 and became a certified acquisition professional through the Defense Acquisition University in 2016. She completed her project management professional (PMP) credential with the Project Management Institute Inc. in 2020 and has taken several certification courses through LinkedIn. Demonstrating excellence throughout her career, Ms. Jackson has received multiple Navy Achievement Medals, Army Achievement Medals, Navy Commendation Medals, Unit Performance Medals, and a Meritorious Service Medal. She stays active in her field through memberships with the Society of American Military Engineers and the Defense Acquisition Corps.
Adjacent to her primary roles, Ms. Jackson is an accomplished published writer in her career subject matters, co-authoring “Integrating Envision Principles in Installation Master Planning” and “Managing for Tomorrow” in The Military Engineer in 2017 and 2014, respectively. Further, in her community, she previously served as a den mother for the Boy Scouts of America and has been the administrator and social media marketing manager for Kaneohe Junior Knights Football since 2022. Looking to the future, Ms. Jackson envisions herself transitioning fully away from work with the military and focusing all her efforts on her businesses and community endeavors with Sonas LLC and Rooted in Resilience of NWFL Inc.
