Brian Tierney

Tierney is the fourth of five sons of James and Claire Tierney. Growing up in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, he attended Waldron Mercy Academy and later The Episcopal Academy. When he was seven, his family moved to Springfield Township, Pennsylvania. In 1975, at the age of eighteen, Tierney unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for township commissioner of Springfield. During the campaign supporters of his opponent in the Democratic primary had torn down his campaign posters and stole other campaign items. Tierney became a Republican after the primary when a few Republicans who said they would look out for his stuff during his primary campaign, invited him to a party meeting.

He attended the University of Pennsylvania from 1975 to 1979, majoring in political science. At Penn, Tierney ran the Penn Students for Gerald Ford campaign in 1976. He graduated in 1979 and, at the age of twenty-two, moved to Washington, D.C., where he worked for the Republican National Committee in various positions, including as a messenger between Ronald Reagan's administration and Republican candidates across the country. Tierney moved back to the Philadelphia region as a Reagan appointee in the U.S. Small Business Administration's public affairs office. In 1987, he received a Juris Doctor degree from Widener University. Tierney married in 1980 and has two children.

Later ventures

Tierney Group and Tierney & Partners, later renamed Tierney Communications, was bought by True North Communications in 1998, which is now part of Interpublic Group. Tierney continued as CEO until April 2002, when he stepped down. He continued with Tierney Communications as chairman until December 1, 2003, when Tierney resigned and announced he was founding a new public relations firm, T2 Group.

T2 Group lasted until June 2004 when Tierney announced it was being bought by credit card company Advanta and that Tierney and most of T2's management would be hired by Advanta. Tierney became vice chairman of Advanta, but in February 2005, Advanta announced Tierney was no longer serving as vice-chairman. The company gave no explanation as to why Tierney lost the position and Tierney's employment with the company ended the next month.