Pennsylvania
2010 Pennsylvania
Leadership Conference
State Spending: Going for Broke
- Moderator:
- Gene Barr, PA Chamber of Business & Industry
- Panelists:
- Ralph Pontillo, Manufacturer & Business Assoc.
- Keith Charles, PA Right to Work
- Kathryn Zuberbuhler Klaber, Marcellus Shale Coalition
Friday, April 17, 2010
- 3:00 - 4:00 pm
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Moderator:
- Gene Barr, Pennsylvania Chamber
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| Gene Barr |
Gene Barr is the Vice President of Government and Public Affairs for the Pennsylvania Chamber. He directs all legislative and regulatory activity, ChamberPAC and external communications. During his career in Harrisburg, he has worked on a large number of significant legislative and regulatory efforts critical to PA's business climate.
Gene has almost thirty-five years of experience in various facets of government and public affairs activity as well as business operations. He worked for BP America (the U.S. subsidiary of British Petroleum) for over twelve years. His career included assignments in refining at the company's Marcus Hook, PA refinery, retail marketing at the U.S. headquarters in Cleveland, OH, and in state government affairs in BP's Atlanta, GA regional office where he had responsibility for all legislative activities in six states.
In 1992, he joined the Associated Petroleum Industries of Pennsylvania, the state office of the American Petroleum Institute, as Associate Director. This office is responsible for all legislative, regulatory, and media activity affecting the major oil companies. In 1997, he was named Executive Director of APIP.
In 2000, he joined the law firm of McNees Wallace Nurick, the largest Harrisburg-based law firm, to start a government relations practice. He established the practice at the firm and then worked briefly at Triad Strategies, one of Harrisburg's largest lobbying firms, to help in the strategic alliance of McNees and Triad.
He previously served as a local elected official in the Philadelphia area for almost ten years. He graduated from St. Joseph's University in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in political science.
Gene joined the Pennsylvania Chamber in February of 2003. He is a registered lobbyist with the Pennsylvania Department of State.
He has served as a board member and chair of the Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Board which oversees the operation of a $300 million fund. In 2001, he was named by then PA Governor Mark Schweiker to the board of Preservation Pennsylvania. In addition, Gene is a guest lecturer at the annual Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College and is a member of a number of historic preservation organizations. He is also a board member of the United Way of PA and the National Civil War Museum. Gene resides in Mechanicsburg with his wife and two daughters, Lauren and Morgan, and son, Ryan.
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Panelists:
- Ralph Pontillo, Manufacturer & Business Assoc.
(click for bio) - Keith Charles, PA Right to Work
(click for bio) - Kathryn Klaber, Marcellus Shale Coalition
(click for bio) - Charlie Gerow, Quantum Communications
(click for bio)
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| Ralph Pontillo |
Ralph J. Pontillo, CAE is president and CEO of the Manufacturer and Business Association (www.mbausa.org) a private non profit employer association with offices in Erie and Harrisburg Pennsylvania. The Manufacturer and Business Association (MBA) is dedicated to providing information and services to its members to assist them in pursuit of their business and community interest. With more than 4,600 member companies located in northwest Pennsylvania, MBA is a highly respected source of information on critical business issues and there economic impact. Mr. Pontillo serves as editor and chief of the Business Magazine, a regional publication with more than 15,000 in readership.
Mr. Pontillo is widely quoted in international, national, state and local media print outlets and interviewed regularly on television and talk radio. In addition, he speaks extensively on tax, regulatory, health care, education and economic reform. Most recently Ralph was interviewed by 13 foreign journalist as part of the Jefferson Fellowship program which focused on the current global financial crisis.
Ralph is the Founder of Pennsylvania Business Week, a hands on intensive, in school, American economics education program designed to help high school students develop a better understanding of and appreciation for the American free enterprise system. Introduced in 1997 the program now boost over 10,000 graduates. Ralph is co-founder of Keep Pennsylvania Producing a web based grass routes program designed to help educate the general public and inspire a call to action on legislative reform that will restore Pennsylvania's competitiveness. He is also co-founder of the Manufacturing Alliance a state wide coalition of business associations and chambers that have successfully achieved significant legislative reforms in the areas of tax, regulatory and workers compensation. He is co-founder of the annual Roar on the Shore Bike Rally which drew 25,000 motorcycle enthusiast from throughout the United States to the shores of Lake Erie and raised $70,000 for the Shiners Hospital for Children - Erie.
Ralph has been described by the media as a "fierce defender of the American capitalistic system and a passionate spokesman on conservative economic issues". He is the recipient of numerous awards most notably the Everett M Dirksen Memorial Award presented by Pennsylvanians for Right to Work. Mr. Pontillo is a member and Past Chairman of the National Employers Association Group, as well as numerous local, state and national boards. He is a member of the American Society of Association Executives and a Certified Association Executive, a professional designation that recognizes the highest level of achievement and excellence in the profession. He is a graduate of Gannon University where he earned a degree in political science. He is a proud veteran of the United States Air Force.
Ralph resides in Fairview Pennsylvania with his wife Dana. He has three grown daughters, Nicole, Amy and Anne Marie.
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| Keith Charles |
Keith Charles spent 30 years in the Forest Products industry in management and ownership of a production facility in Southern Lancaster County. He became politically active in 2005 after the infamous 'midnight pay raise' and ran a successful campaign in the spring of 2006. Without party endorsement, he was able to garner over 40% of the vote in the 96th district but was defeated in the primary and missed the opportunity to run against Representative Mike Sturla.
He is involved with civic and social organizations in Lancaster City and across Pennsylvania, and serves as Director on several Boards.
With a business, management and financial background, he is currently serving as the Executive Director and Legislative Affairs Liaison for Pennsylvanians for Right to Work.
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| Kathryn Klaber |
Kathryn Klaber serves as the Marcellus Shale Coalition's first President and Executive Director. In this role, on behalf of the MSC member companies, she works closely with elected leaders, regulators and the civic community to realize the responsible development of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale geological formation and the enhancement of Pennsylvania's economy that can be realized by this clean-burning energy source.
Prior to joining the MSC, Katie served as Executive Vice President for Competitiveness at the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and as the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Economy League. A lifelong Pennsylvanian, she earned her undergraduate degree in environmental science from Bucknell University and her Masters in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University.
At the Allegheny Conference, Ms. Klaber played a leading role in the gains made by a coalition of organizations and employers to improve tax competitiveness and the business climate in Pennsylvania. Katie also advanced initiatives around air and water quality, working proactively on behalf of a growing economy and an improving environment. In these roles, she worked with businesses and organizations across the Commonwealth to address the most uncompetitive aspects of Pennsylvania's economy and improve the regulatory climate for fostering economic growth. Ms. Klaber regularly testified before legislative committees, and advises stakeholders on timely public policy issues. Beginning in early 2008, she led the Allegheny Conference's efforts to help the region and state realize the full benefits of the Marcellus Shale development, including creation of an economic impact assessment of the oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania and the design of the Energy Alliance of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Through the 1990s, Kathryn Klaber worked for the international environmental, health and safety consulting firm, Environmental Resources Management, Inc. (ERM), first at the company's headquarters in Philadelphia, then in her native Pittsburgh. Her client work consisted primarily of mergers and acquisitions, environmental management systems, air and water quality projects, and other facilities' engineering engagements. She supervised multinational projects, primarily for Fortune 1000 companies, involving staff from across the company's 130 offices. In southwestern Pennsylvania, she worked with regional companies on air quality compliance, Brownfields redevelopment, accidental release preparedness, and a myriad of other environmental initiatives. During her last three years with the firm, Ms. Klaber managed the Pittsburgh regional office, responsible for all aspects of the practice including business development, product delivery, staffing, and financial management.
She received the Enterprise Award for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon for her business plan for an innovative environmental reporting and metrics company. She was elected by her peers as President in the school's archetypical Management Game. Katie was appointed by Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary McGinty and reconfirmed by Secretary Hanger to Pennsylvania's Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee.
Katie lives in southwestern Pennsylvania with her husband, two boys and their yellow lab.
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One of the Founders of the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, Charlie Gerow is a longtime conservative leader. Called "one of the states most durable and dynamic conservative spear carriers" by Human Events, Charlie is the CEO of Quantum Communications, a Harrisburg public relations and marketing firm.
Charlie serves on the Board of Directors of the American Conservative Union, the nation's largest and most prestigious conservative organization and on the Board of the Freedom's Foundation at Valley Forge. For many years he was the State Chairman of Citizens Against Government Waste.
A graduate of the Villanova University School of Law, Charlie began his career on the campaign staff of President Ronald Reagan and has served as an Attorney, College professor and has been a Republican candidate for the United States Congress. He has been an expert resource to both the White House Conference on Small Business and the Governor's Conference on Small Business.
Charlie is the political analyst for WHP-TV21, the Harrisburg CBS affiliate and regularly appears in both statewide and national media. He has been quoted in virtually every major newspaper in the country.
Elected as both a Delegate and an Alternate Delegate to the Republican National Convention, Charlie has also been appointed as an Alternate Delegate-at-Large.
In 2003 he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary Commission.
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