From Prosecutor to Community Builder: The FormerGov Story
Choices make the man and Brian Levine chose us
“I was thinking about my eulogy. I didn’t want it to read, Brian was faced with a choice and he chose the money. I didn’t want that to be my story.”
- Brian Levine
Heavy Choices
Last year when so many of us were kicked out of our jobs, Brian Levine was faced with a choice.
Over his career, Brian set himself up as an expert living at the intersection of cyber security and the legal world. After spending many years as a DOJ cybercrime prosecutor, he turned to private consulting and was making a strong name for himself at his firm.
In his free time, Brian worked with his cousin Max to build FormerGov, a one of a kind directory that would serve as a bridge between former Feds and organizations seeking their skills and insights.
Brian was very upfront with his firm about his work on FormerGov, and they didn’t have any issue with what they saw as a side hustle.
Of course, that changed in early 2025.
“The administration turned over and my consulting firm got nervous about losing its government contracts. So I had a choice. I could either stay in that lucrative job and jettison former gov... or I could go with FormerGov which doesn’t pay me anything. And so of course I went with FormerGov, the obvious choice.”
None of us would have blamed Brian if he took the money. But I for one am so grateful that he didn’t.
Brian chose us. Risking his own career and livelihood, Brian rapidly developed a new support system for the thousands of former federal staff, contractors, and others who lost their jobs in the wake of the 2024 election.
In October 2025, he brokered a deal with Eaton House to host free weekly co-working spaces for those navigating RIFs and layoffs. Those Tuesday sessions quickly became a lifeline for so many members of this community.
I’ve been amazed by the amount of support Brian, Max, and the rest of the team at FormerGov have been able to pull together to help folks navigate this harrowing transition. They’ve partnered with Virginia Works, GovSkills, NARFE, Partnership for Public Service, FedsForward, OneAid, wellfed, and many others organizations dedicated to helping members of this community find their next home.
Diving Deep
Tuesdays at Eaton are always very hectic and full of activity so I don’t actually get much face time with Brian when I’m there. But I really wanted to learn more about his journey and his vision for the future of FormerGov, so we scheduled a virtual interview.
It was a great conversation, and I’m presenting it to you in 3 parts.
Part 1: The Story, the Pivot, and the Niche
In this segment, Brian shares the origin story of FormerGov and the core challenge it’s built to address.
“When you’re in government, you have to keep your visibility down. You can’t be all over social media unless you’re the top of your agency, you’re just not going to be known out there. So, we were trying to help my former colleagues be found...”
Part 2: Lessons from Running “No Profit”
What’s it like to jump headfirst into running a small business? In this segment Brian shares lessons learned and gives us a peak at his approach to entrepreneurship.
From building partnerships to shifting risk tolerance, and why we all need to read Uri Levine’s book, this part of our conversation sh
ould be really interesting to those of you who are exploring small business during this next phase of your career.
Part 3: The Live Platform Demo
This last part focuses on how you can use the FormerGov platform to help you in the next stage of your career. Brian shares his screen and walks us through a very indepth demo detailing all the system’s features. He also highlights how you can get a free account.
In Your Corner
Looking to change things up when it comes to your job search? The team at FormerGov is here to help.
In the DC area?
Be sure to drop by Eaton House on Tuesdays. We’ll save a doughnut for you!
Living somewhere else?
Check out their virtual clubhouse sessions.
Want a free account?
Email the team (contact@formergov.com) and they’ll set you up.