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Matthew J. Brouillette (pronounced "Bree-Yet") is President and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives. He was appointed President and CEO by the Board of Directors in February 2002.
Through regular print, television, and talk radio appearances across the Commonwealth, Matt is a prominent voice in statewide public policy debates. He is a regular guest-host on WHP 580 AM in Harrisburg and a regular host on Pittsburgh Business Radio on WMNY 1360 AM where he discusses the intersection of business and politics. He also writes a bi-monthly column for the Central Pennsylvania Business Journal.
Prior to the Commonwealth Foundation, Matt served as the Director of Education Policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Michigan. Before his career in public policy, Matt spent seven years teaching history and coaching football and baseball at the high school and middle school levels. Matt has also taught history and economics at the university level.
Matt is a board member of the REACH Foundation, a Pennsylvania school choice advocacy organization, and the Joshua Group, a Harrisburg nonprofit ministry serving at-risk youth. He is on an advisory board for the Economics Department at Duquesne University. Previously, Matt served on an advisory council of the E. G. West Centre for Market Solutions in Education at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in England, on an advisory committee for the New York City-based Atlantic Legal Foundation, and as 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 both U.S. History and Education from Cornell College and earned a masters degree in graduate education from Azusa Pacific University and a masters degree in history from the University of San Diego. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Walden University. Matt is married and has four children.
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Charles F. Mi
tchell is Vice President and COO of the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives.
Before joining the Commonwealth Foundation, Charles served for four years as the program director at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni in Washington, D.C., during which time the organization increased its budget by over 60 percent, doubled its staff, and launched a college-guide website, WhatWillTheyLearn.com, which over 50,000 people have visited to find a school that actually ensures a solid grounding for its graduates. He also oversaw the organization's series of state higher education report cards and offered expert testimony in various state capitals. Previously, he was a program officer at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and an intern at the Heritage Foundation.
Charles is a graduate of the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation's Associate Program, the Mackinac Center's Leadership Conference, and the Claremont Institute's Publius Fellows Program. His writings have appeared in the Harrisburg Patriot-News, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Allentown Morning Call and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, among others, and he has been interviewed on MSNBC, Fox News Channel, C-SPAN's Washington Journal, National Public Radio, and The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. He has spoken at the Conservative Political Action Conference, the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, and numerous meetings of the American Legislative Exchange Council.
Charles received a B.A. summa cum laude in history and economics from Pennsylvania's own Bucknell University, where he led student campaigns on behalf of individual rights and personal responsibility, appeared on the cover of the New York Times Magazine, and-most importantly-met his wife, Charissa. Charles and Charissa both grew up in the Keystone State and were married on a hilltop overlooking Lititz.
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Nathan A. Benefield is Director of Policy Research for the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives.
Nate has researched and written on public policy issues including taxation, government spending, education reform, transportation funding, health care policy, and economic development. Nate has frequently provided testimony to Pennsylvania House and Senate committees on issues such as the state budget, transportation funding, privatization, and education.
Nate graduated from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois with a degree in political science and economics, and also earned a masters degree in public service management from DePaul.
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Amy J. Grimm is Director of Operations for the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives.
Amy oversees the Foundation's contributor relations and finances, and she is the coordinator of Foundation events.
She attended Harrisburg Area Community College and received her associate degree in accounting while working in the college public relations office before joining the Foundation in 2000.
Amy lives in Williamstown with her husband Earl and their daughter Lizzie.
Chris And
erson is Director of Graphic Arts for the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives.
Chris oversees the Foundation's print and web-based graphic needs, including designing the Foundation's magazine, Commonwealth Sense.
A graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas with a degree in journalism, Chris worked for several years as a copy and design editor at newspapers. Prior to joining the Commonwealth Foundation, he served as Communications Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Builders Association.
Chris lives in midtown Harrisburg with his wife, Kathryn.
Elizabeth Stelle is a Research Associate with the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives.
Elizabeth is a 2008 graduate of Grove City College where she earned a bachelor's degree in history. Elizabeth's experiences include a semester abroad at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and various internships with the National Jewish Museum and Hayes Presidential Center. When she has free time Elizabeth enjoys dancing, traveling to historic landmarks, and exploring the mid-state.
Elizabeth has research and written on topics of government reform, energy policy, and government transparency.
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Abhi Samuel is a Program Associate for the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives.
Abhi came to United States from India in 2005 and graduated from Grove City College in December 2008. While at Grove City he embraced free market economics and hopes to one day take those ideas back to his home country. In his free time he enjoys blogging and traveling to destinations across the United States and around the world.
While at the Commonwealth Foundation he has worked on economic development issues and criminal justice reform.
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Katrina Currie is a Research Associate with the Commonwealth Foundation. Katrina is a recent graduate of Messiah College with a B.S. in environmental science and a minor in adventure education.
Using her undergraduate experience, Katrina is assisting CF in research and writing, with a focus on energy and environmental policy. In her free time, Katrina enjoys camping, backpacking, kayaking, and pretty much any outdoor activity.
Katrina lives in Carlisle, PA with her husband Mike and a small zoo's worth of exotic animals.
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Richard C. Dreyfuss is a senior fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives.
Rick, an actuary and business consultant, worked for The Hershey Company (formerly Hershey Foods Corporation) for 21 years, and held numerous positions there, including director of compensation and benefits, prior to his retirement in 2002. Rick also chaired of The Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council from 2001-02.
Rick is a pension and health care expert who has written and testified before Congress and the Pennsylvania General Assembly on strategies to effectively manage long-term employee benefit costs.
Rick is a graduate of Connecticut College, with a B.A. in mathematics and economics, and he earned a master's degree in actuarial science from Northeastern University.
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Paul Chesser is a senior fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives.
Paul also serves as a special correspondent for the Heartland Institute and is director of Climate Strategies Watch, an independent project that assesses the development of global warming policies in the states. He served as associate editor for the John Locke Foundation's Carolina Journal from 2001 to 2007.
His reporting and commentaries have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including The Washington Post, New York Post, The Washington Times, Washington Examiner, and the San Francisco Examiner. He is a regular contributor and blogger for American Spectator Online and for the Cooler Heads Coalition blog (Globalwarming.org).
