Brian Jaffe
As portrayed by Jason.
Brian is a Washington political operative in his mid thirties. He's young, organized and charismatic. He's got brown hair that's a touch too long to be conservative, hazel eyes and a twist of a smile. He's the sort of guy who looks really good in a suit, and he's almost always in a suit.
The only child of a well-off Connecticut family, Brian grew up in the suburbs of Hartford in the heart of New England affluence. Even still, Brian's always been a populist; he went to public school, rather than the private schools his parents wanted to send him to, and he learned Spanish to better associate with the revolving assortment of hired help around the house. With so many people struggling around him, Brian pushed hard and earned himself admission at Yale. Brian had ambition and a frustrated desire to make the world better. What he didn't have was direction; not until a chance Poli Sci class, which he only took because of a girl he was chasing, opened his eyes to a way to make things change. With a goal to shoot for, Brian's focus narrowed down like a laser. He did his undergrad in Political Science and got his law degree from Harvard, where he met Matthieu Chalfant. He specialized in International Law, and spent a year of his law school time in Oman on a Fullbright Scholarship. In the 7 years between when he passed the bar and September 11, 2001, he had been Deputy Minority Council for the House Committee on International Relations (2 1/2 years), Majority Council for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (3 years) and, finally, Chief of Staff for Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee (1 1/2 years).
It had been a good life; a nice apartment in Georgetown, a decent salary (approx. $116k - see [1], fifth bullet), a Lexus to drive and a short series of girlfriends, most of whom he really liked, including Joelle Millar. He kept himself busy with meeting after meeting and believed, on his best days, that the politics he put into practice really had the chance to make the country, and the world, a better place to be.
Not that Brian was without ambition; he was building connections for a bid for the House in 2004 when September 11th hit. He thought his chances were pretty good, too. Even though he's largely concerned himself with other projects since waking up, a high seat in public office isn't a goal that Brian's entirely abandoned.
Out of the core group of Survivors, Brian's the most physically changed, at least in outward appearance. He's grown by more than a foot, so that now stands at some 7 and a half feet tall, and his frame's filled out to match. What used to be the soft pudginess of a man who's daily exercise was pacing around an office has hardened into what seems to be sculpted muscle over a pair of broad shoulders. Brian was always an impressive speaker; now he's a pressence.
Brian's dealing with the changes The Survivors are undergoing through political action; in other words, he's throwing himself into his work. But more than that, he knows Washington and he knows the press. He knows what could happen to all of these poor, defenseless people if they don't have someone to look out for them. He feels that he has to be that someone; he's not sure that anyone else can.
Job Description[edit]
The Director of Programs
The Director of Programs is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Foundation's program areas. Answerable to the Executive Director, the Director of Programs is nevertheless her counterpart in overseeing the day-to-day and long-term operations of the Foundation's Program staff. Internally, he coordinates activities between the individual programs for maximum efficiency, including loans of full-time and consultant staff, and ensures that each is operating according to a specific organization plan to accomplish defined short- and long-term goals, as determined in consulation with the Executive Director and the Board. Also, he must work closely with the Counsel and Public Relations portions of the Foundation's Operations staff to ensure that the programs' activities are both legal and well-received. Finally, he maintains the Foundation's master file on the skills and schedules of its Survivor consultants. Externally, the Director of Programs is the key liason with executives representing the Foundation's various clients, patrons and partners, ranging from other advocacy groups to government, in order to support the work of the various programs.
