# Brian J. Stephens

> Brian J. Stephens is the Memphis-based founder and CEO of Caissa K12, a firm that helps public school districts recruit students and engage families. An Army veteran and attorney with a background in business and psychology, he co-founded Caissa Public Strategy with Paige Walkup, writes about communications and public education, and hosts Unfiltered Education.

- **Role:** Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Caissa K12
- **Organizations:** Caissa K12, Caissa Public Strategy, Stephens Group Law Firm, United States Army, Leadership Memphis, Greater Memphis Chamber
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Marion Military Institute, Undergraduate degrees in Business Management and Industrial Psychology, Appalachian State University, Juris Doctor, University of Tulsa College of Law
- **Known for:** Served in the United States Army, reaching the rank of captain., Co-founded Caissa Public Strategy and founded Caissa K12., Authored Only Morons Say “No Comment” and A Level Playing Field: Strategies to Ensure Public Schools’ Success.

## Career timeline

- **1995-1998** — Studied law at the University of Tulsa; a district proposal biography also describes his work there as a legal fellow teaching law students.
- **2010** — Caissa’s company LinkedIn page gives 2010 as its founding year. Stephens and Paige Walkup converted the Stephens Group Law Firm into Caissa Public Strategy; Caissa K12 subsequently grew out of that firm.
- **2013** — A Memphis Business Journal profile described him as a Florida native living in Memphis who had developed and sold three startups.
- **2019** — Led the Greater Memphis Chamber’s inaugural Chamber Institute course on building a business plan.
- **2025** — Published A Level Playing Field: Strategies to Ensure Public Schools’ Success. By August, national reporting described Caissa K12 as having more than 100 district clients.
- **2026** — Continued hosting Unfiltered Education and appeared on Principal Center Radio to discuss his book and public-school advocacy.

## Achievements

- Served in the United States Army, reaching the rank of captain.
- Co-founded Caissa Public Strategy and founded Caissa K12.
- Authored Only Morons Say “No Comment” and A Level Playing Field: Strategies to Ensure Public Schools’ Success.
- Received Memphis Business Journal Top 40 Under 40 recognition in 2006, as listed on his LinkedIn profile.
- Listed Leadership Memphis Alumnus of the Year recognition in 2015 on his LinkedIn profile.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Hosted superintendent Jerry Hollingsworth for a September 23 Unfiltered Education conversation about community trust.
- **2026-09** — Hosted WIT founder Sarah Hernholm on September 17 to discuss entrepreneurial thinking among teachers and student ownership.
- **2026-09** — Released an internal Caissa K12 communication-training conversation as a September 10 podcast episode.
- **2026-07** — District Administration listed his July 29 opinion article on fairness in school choice.
- **2026-04** — An April 6 federal court order granted a partial dismissal motion in Madison Nelson’s employment lawsuit against Caissa Public Strategy and Stephens. The order addressed specified claims and did not decide the truth of the allegations or resolve the entire lawsuit.

## Links

- Website: https://www.caissak12.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianjstrategy
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/LawyerBJS

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/brian-j-stephens
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22