David Brennan

Education is a passion for David Brennan, Chairman of White Hat Management LLC. As an established CEO in the manufacturing world Brennan saw firsthand the realities of American education. He established Learning Centers at his manufacturing and industrial sites to help his employees overcome education deficits and increase their capacity for success.

His experiences with the Learning Centers led him deeper into the field of education. He serves as Trustee at both of his alma maters, The Ohio State University (1953) and Case Western Reserve School of Law (1957). He has also established law chairs at Case and the University of Akron.

In 1992 then Ohio Governor George Voinovich was looking for someone to head a blue-ribbon commission on education. He tapped David Brennan. The Governor’s commission forwarded a plan that led to significant new opportunities in educational choice across Ohio. In 1997 Brennan received The Governor’s Award for his unique contributions in the field of education.

David Brennan has served public schools, private schools, sectarian, non-sectarian schools, voucher, and charter schools. He helped develop private and public scholarship funds, programs and schools for needy children in urban school districts throughout the state. In 1998 Brennan founded White Hat Management a professional educational services firm. In just three brief years White Hat has helped institute 16 new charter schools in Ohio including eight elementary schools and eight LifeSkills high school programs.

LifeSkills may be Brennan’s most enduring contribution to the field of education. A unique blend of successful educational components, LifeSkills helps young people who have already dropped-out of high school get back to school and gain a high school diploma, as well as valuable on-the-job experience. LifeSkills high schools in Ohio, which began in September, 1999, have graduated almost 1,000 students through December 2001.

Brennan has built his home and businesses from his life-long residence in Akron, Ohio. He and his wife Ann are the parents of four and share the joys of ten grandchildren.