Leadership

Matthew J. Brouillette

Founder, President & CEO of Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs, Inc. Matt previously served as President & CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives for 14 years before founding Commonwealth Partners in 2016. Continue reading.

David E. Barensfeld

Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Commonwealth Partners. David is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ellwood Group, Inc., in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, where he served as President & CEO from 1983 to 2018. He is also a board member of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, and the Heinz History Center, among others.

Richard K. Dandrea

Treasurer/Secretary of Commonwealth Partners. Rick is Of Counsel to the law firm of Eckert Seamans, where he practiced civil litigation, with a focus upon pharmaceutical product liability defense. Rick was a long-time member of the firm’s Executive Committee and manager of several practice groups. Rick has been active on non-profit boards, including nine years on Penn State University’s Board of Trustees, where for many years he was chair of the Legal & Compliance Committee and the Legal Subcommittee, vice-chair of the Governance Committee and a member of the board’s Executive Committee. Rick received his BA from Penn State, and his JD from George Washington University Law School.

Jon DeArment

Trustee of Commonwealth Partners. Jon DeArment is President and COO of CHANNELLOCK^®, representing the fifth generation to lead this family-owned company. He also serves as the Vice President for the Hand Tools Institute Board of Directors and is a member of the Board of Governors at the Manufacturer & Business Association in Erie, PA. Jon earned a BS in Business Management from Gannon University and graduated from the Bell Leadership Institute’s Masters in Leadership Program.

Rob Ecklin

Trustee of Commonwealth Partners. Rob is President of Stoner Inc., Manufacturing and President of Ecklin Development LLC, which specializes in redeveloping historic downtowns. His additional business interests include Horsepower Enterprises, which focuses on automotive restoration, and Proof of Lancaster, providing wine and whiskeys from around the world. Rob holds a BS in Chemistry from Pennsylvania State University. He is married to Wendy Ecklin and has four children and one grandchild. In his free time, Rob enjoys sports car racing, squash, and skiing.

Jeff Kendall

Trustee of Commonwealth Partners. Jeff leads the acquisition, development and operation of numerous assets and companies as managing director of Laurel Mountain Partners in Pittsburgh, PA. Jeff received a BA from Penn State, MILR from Cornell University and a JD from University of Pittsburgh, graduating magna cum laude.

Deborah Shearer

Trustee of Commonwealth Partners. Deborah is President of MedTec Fulfillment Solutions and JFK Logistics Partners LLC. She also serves as Director, Engineering and Program Management of SEKO MedTec Solutions, the Healthcare Vertical Division of SEKO Worldwide. Deborah’s expertise is quality systems, process improvement and program management. She grew up in Latrobe, PA and received a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

Rob Shearer

Trustee of Commonwealth Partners. Rob, along with his wife and business partner Deborah Shearer, owns and leads several companies focused on Supply Chain Logistics. Rob grew up in Pittsburgh, graduated from Central Catholic High School, received a BA from Duquesne University, and did graduate work in Economic Development and Public Policy at Gannon University.

David N. Taylor

Trustee of Commonwealth Partners. David is President & CEO of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association. He is also chairman of the Pennsylvania Leadership Council and current chairman of the Pennsylvania Coalition for Civil Justice Reform. David also serves as a member of the American Enterprise Institute’s Leadership Network and a member of the executive committee of the Conference of State Manufacturing Associations (COSMA), among numerous other board memberships.

Mike Turzai

Trustee of Commonwealth Partners. Mike, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Duke University School of Law, is currently Vice President and General Counsel for Peoples Natural Gas Company LLC, headquartered in Pittsburgh, and serves on the board of many local charities.  Prior to his present position, Mike served as Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where he led efforts to expand school choice tax credit scholarship programs, privatize the liquor control system, and improve the state’s business climate. Mike represented the 28th House district for nearly 20 years.  He and his wife Lidia, a pediatrician, have three sons.