Brent is Senior Director of Digital Research at New York Public Library, a new division tasked with developing and executing a visionary strategy for the digitization, digital preservation, access, and information policy for the world's greatest public library. Digital Research stewards a rapidly-growing collection of 27+ million digitized and born-digital collection items across 10 petabytes and dozens of formats.

Prior to joining the NYPL in early 2017, Brent was a full-time consultant at AEA for seven years, focusing on strategic planning and AEA's research portfolio. During that time, Brent helped facilitate strategic plans with clients including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera, Kronos Quartet, Public Art Fund, Roundabout Theatre Company, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. His research included a study on the impact of “live-to-digital” work on the theatre sector commissioned by Arts Council England, Society of London Theatre, and UK Theatre, and a paper focused on art in unusual spaces, published by The James Irvine Foundation. He also directed research for AEA’s evaluation of the Knight Foundation’s Knight Arts Challenge and conducted in-depth audience studies for The Cleveland Orchestra, New York Public Radio – WQXR, Frick Collection, City Parks Foundation, and Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

Brent is a musicologist studying American composers and arts policy. He is an Instructor at Columbia University's Arts Administration graduate program and was a Lecturer in the music department at Dartmouth College in 2014. Brent's research on John Cage has appeared in American Music and he is now finishing a book focused on arts policy during the Kennedy administration.

Brent received a Ph.D in musicology from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and an A.B. in music from Dartmouth College.