In the state Capitol, his priorities include strengthening the state’s economy and protecting Butler County’s traditional values.
For the 2009-10 legislative session, Ellis serves on the Appropriations, Finance and Tourism and Recreational Development committees. Additionally, he serves on the House Republican Policy Committee’s Task Force on Budget and Economic Policy.
In January 2008, Ellis was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. His duties include helping to shape the annual budget and providing guidance and leadership in moving the history center’s mission forward. In addition, Ellis was appointed to the Moraine Trails Council, Boy Scouts of America Executive Board in May 2008.
A third-generation small business owner, Ellis has identified economic growth as his top legislative priority. In the decade before his election, he worked with his family to build a network of western Pennsylvania auto dealerships, Ellis Auto Group, with branches in Lyndora and Penn Township. Due to his entrepreneurial experience, Ellis was named chairman of the House Subcommittee on Small Business and as co-chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee’s Small Business Task Force.
In addition to his leadership as a businessman, Ellis has served in numerous Butler County volunteer organizations, including the Butler AM Rotary, Big Brothers/Big Sisters Board, and the county commissioners’ Drug and Alcohol Advisory Panel. He has also served as advisor to the YMCA Youth and Government Program — where he first became interested in public service while still in high school — and was named keynote speaker for the program’s statewide conference in 2005. Ellis currently serves on the Butler County Community College Board of Trustees and the Pennsylvania state YMCA Board of Directors.
Ellis is the son of Jim and Diane Ellis of Butler Township. Brian’s wife, Monica, is an Information Technology consultant. He and his wife live in Meridian with their sons Justin and Nathan and attend St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Butler.