2008
Star Pennsylvania
Leadership
Star Conference
A Project of the Pennsylvania Leadership Council  
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Market Solutions to Liberal Issues

Saturday, April 26

9:30 - 10:30 A.M.

Moderator:
Matthew Brouillette
Matthew Brouillette
Matthew Brouillette
President & CEO, Commonwealth Foundation
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Matthew J. Brouillette (pronounced "Bree-Yet") is president and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy, an independent, non-profit public policy research and educational organization located in Harrisburg. The Commonwealth Foundation is dedicated to advancing state-level public policies based on our nation’s founding principles of limited government, economic freedom, and personal responsibility.

Through regular print, television, and talk radio appearances across the commonwealth, Matt is a prominent voice in statewide public policy debates bringing the free-market, pro-liberty perspective to today’s political and policy discussions.

Matt is a board member of the REACH Alliance, a Pennsylvania school choice advocacy organization, and the Joshua Group, a Harrisburg nonprofit ministry serving at-risk youth. He serves on an advisory council of the E. G. West Centre for Market Solutions in Education at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in England, and is on an advisory committee for the New York City-based Atlantic Legal Foundation. Matt is also an advisory board member for the American Academy for Liberal Education in Washington, D.C., a national organization dedicated to strengthening and promoting liberal education through accreditation and research.

Matt received his undergraduate degree in U.S. History and Education from Cornell College and earned post-graduate degrees from Azusa Pacific University and the University of San Diego. Matt is currently working on his Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration.

He is married to DanaRae and has four children, Miles, Liberty, Lindy Joy, and Samantha. The Brouillettes are members of Trinity Presbyterian Church of America in Harrisburg, and they live in Hershey.

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Panelists:
Leonard Gilroy
Leonard Gilroy
Leonard Gilroy
Reason Foundation
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Leonard Gilroy is the Director of Government Reform at Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think tank advancing free minds and free markets. Gilroy, a certified urban planner (AICP), researches privatization, government reform, transportation, infrastructure, and urban policy issues.

Gilroy has a diversified background in policy research and implementation, with particular emphases on public-private partnerships, competition, government efficiency, transparency, accountability, and government performance. He is the editor of the world's most respected newsletter on privatization, Privatization Watch, and is the editor of the widely-read Annual Privatization Report, which examines trends and chronicles the experiences of local, state, and federal governments in bringing competition to public services.

Prior to joining Reason, Gilroy was a Senior Planner at a New-Orleans-based urban planning consulting firm. He also worked as a research assistant at the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research at Virginia Tech. Gilroy earned a B.A. and M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Tech.

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Robert W. O'Donnell
R. W. O'Donnell
Robert W. O'Donnell
Former Speaker of the
PA House of Representatives
 
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Robert W. O'Donnell is a Philadelphia-based attorney, lobbyist, and political and governmental strategist. As former Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, he possesses a deep understanding of the legislative and political process. His private law practice has concentrated in public finance for the past twenty years and he maintains a separate practice representing charter schools.

As a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for 19 years, Mr. O'Donnell rose through the ranks of leadership, serving as caucus chairman, majority whip, majority leader, and Speaker of the House. While in public service, he developed a reputation as a thoughtful, dynamic, and intellectually honest member of the House. He has been a consistent advocate for equality of opportunity including supporting school choice throughout his tenure in the legislature.

Mr. O'Donnell has served as a member of Public Employees Retirement Study Commission, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, the Board of Trustees of the University of Pittsburgh, the Mayor's Tax Budget and Advisory Committee (Philadelphia), the Chesapeake Bay Commission, the General State Authority, the Mayor's Economic Recovery Task Force (Philadelphia), the Milrite Council and the Philadelphia Port Corporation Board of Directors.

Mr. O'Donnell is a graduate of Temple University and its law school, and attended The Hague Academy of International Law. Honorary degrees have been awarded to Mr. O'Donnell by Arcadia College and Philadelphia University. He has received many public awards including citations from the Pennsylvania League of Cities Service and Common Cause. He resides in Chestnut Hill with his wife, Dr. Donna Gentile O'Donnell.

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Scott Boyd
Scott Boyd
Scott Boyd
State Representative
 
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Now in his third term serving the 43rd Legislative District (Lancaster County) in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, State Representative Scott W. Boyd has established himself as a legislative leader who reflects the conservative values of the communities he serves.

Boyd continues to be an outspoken opponent of expanded gambling in the Commonwealth, and served as the prime sponsor of legislation proposing an amendment to the state's Constitution that would protect the institution of marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

As a lifelong Lancaster Countian, Boyd is a staunch advocate for farmland preservation and a proponent of smart growth, both of which are critical to preserving the county's beautiful landscape and the unique quality of life its residents enjoy. Boyd was recently recognized for his efforts by the Lancaster Farmland Trust when he was named recipient of the group's 2007 Darvin Boyd Friend of Agriculture Award.

He also has been on the front lines in the fight to revive Pennsylvania's economy. He has authored several bills designed to create more jobs in Pennsylvania by making the Commonwealth more attractive to job creators. Additionally, Boyd has been named to serve on the board of the Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Council.

Another of his key pieces of legislation would solve a problem for senior citizens who are denied access to their prescription benefits when they move into a long-term care facility. If enacted, Boyd's legislation would eliminate a bureaucratic "catch 22" and save these older Pennsylvanians thousands of dollars in prescription drug costs.

During the 2007-2008 legislative session, Boyd is serving on four key State House Committees – Commerce, Finance, Labor Relations and Insurance. He is now in position to be an even stronger voice for cutting taxes, growing Pennsylvania's economy, and fighting for Pennsylvania's working families.

Boyd has been appointed Republican chairman of the State House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Economic Development, and vice chairman of the House Labor Relations Committee.

In addition to his House committee assignments, Boyd also serves on various boards and committees outside of the Legislature. He serves on the advisory boards for Pennsylvania's college-saving plan, the Tuition Account Program (TAP) and the Lancaster campus of Harrisburg Area Community College; is a member of the Water Street Rescue Mission's Finance Committee; and is member and sponsor of the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County. Boyd also has served as the Legislative Fellow at Millersville University, providing students of government real-life exposure to the legislative process. For his work to advocate for the rights children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Boyd was recently recognized as the ARC of Lancaster Legislator of the Year.

Prior to being elected to the House in 2002, Boyd was the owner and chief executive officer of White Oak Display & Design, a business started by his father and based in Manheim. He took over as CEO in 1992 after working for 10 years as a sales representative for the company, which designs and constructs commercial displays.

Boyd and his family are members of the New Covenant Christian Church in Manor Township. He served on the church's board of elders from 1986 to 1996.

Boyd is a 1976 graduate of Lampeter-Strasburg High School and a 1980 graduate of Millersville University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in political science.

He and his wife, Nancy, reside in West Lampeter Township. They have two grown children, Aubrey and Zach.

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Distinguished Gallery

Past PLC Keynote speakers include (left to right):

Joe Scarborough (2006), Ann Coulter (2005), M. Stanton Evans (1990); Walter Williams (1999);
Lynn Cheney (1993); William Bennett (1991); Laura Ingraham (2007); Senator Rick Santorum (1995); Armstrong Williams (1994);
David Horowitz (2001); Newt Gingrich (1989); Robert Novak (1992); and Robert Walker (1996).