Brennan, David

David Brennan's passion for teaching began when he realized his workforce at The Brenlin Group, a manufacturing holding company, was undereducated. In 1987, Brennan opened his first learning center at a plant in Spartanburg, S.C. Employees' reading and math skills at that plant jumped from fifth-grade level in 1987 to tenth-grade level in 1995, Brennan later wrote. Brennan went on to create White Hat Ventures, which runs more than 30 charter schools in Ohio, Michigan, Colorado and Arizona. Beneficiaries of his philanthropy include Summa Health System, the Akron Symphony Orchestra and the Ohio Ballet.