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David L. Brennan
Chairman, White Hat
Education first became a passion for David Leo Brennan in the
1980s when, as CEO of a manufacturing company, he found many of
his employees to be functionally illiterate, despite having
attended public schools. Rather than accept the status quo, he
opened his own schools in his plants, made education mandatory,
and paid his employees to attend. Soon, spouses and children
were asking for courses in these Learning Centers, and they were
welcomed and taught.
Brennan became a pioneer in developing alternatives for students and parents who perceived a need for new educational options. Before long he was one of the early movers in a march toward charter schools that led to countless innovations and opened America's mind to the idea that there is more than one way to teach our children. Additionally, Brennan opened America's first diploma schools for high-school dropouts--now known as Life Skills Centers.
David Brennan has served public, private, sectarian, non-sectarian, voucher, and charter schools. He has helped develop private and public scholarship funds, plus programs and schools for needy children in urban school districts throughout Ohio. He founded White Hat in 1998.
In 1997, Brennan received The (Ohio) Governor's Award for his unique contributions in the field of education. In 1999 he received The Peter Flanagan Children First Award, and in 2002 he and his wife, Ann, received the Malden Mills Corporate Kindness Award from Project Love. He has served as a 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.