David H. Ehrenwerth
Partner K&L Gates - Pittsburgh Office
The Thornburgh Forum for Law and Public Policy will be highlighting members of the Forum Advisory Committee periodically. Mr. David H. Ehrenwerth is a co-chair of the Thornburgh Forum Advisory Committee along with Mr. Sam Zacharias, who also co-chairs the committee.
By Presidential appointment, Mr. Ehrenwerth served from 2010 to 2012 as Associate Commissioner of the United States Public Buildings Service and previously as Regional Administrator of the General Services Administration. As Associate Commissioner, Mr. Ehrenwerth helped oversee the Federal Government’s national real estate portfolio of almost 400,000,000 square feet located in 10,000 properties. The Public Buildings Service is one of the largest and most diversified real estate organizations in the world. Mr. Ehrenwerth also served as the Agency’s Senior Recovery Act Official in which capacity he oversaw the expenditure of the 5.5 Billion dollars allocated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the construction and energy-efficient renovation of a wide range of Federal buildings throughout the country.
Prior to his government service, Mr. Ehrenwerth practiced law at K&L Gates for over three decades. He served for ten years on the firm’s overall management committee and as administrative partner for the Pittsburgh office. Mr. Ehrenwerth’s practice involves a wide range of business matters and he has been particularly active in the fields of real estate development, finance, corporate transactions and the structuring of complex domestic and international joint ventures. He also has represented major hospitals, foundations and economic development organizations. Mr. Ehrenwerth has chaired both the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Committee on Real Estate Finance and the Real Property Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association.
Mr. Ehrenwerth has served as Chairman of the Board of Montefiore University Hospital and has also served on the Boards of the Pennsylvania Economy League, the Pennsylvania Board of Vocational Rehabilitation, Presbyterian University Hospital, the Pittsburgh Symphony and the National Board of the American Jewish Committee. Long active in political affairs, Mr. Ehrenwerth has advised numerous candidates and elected officials on a wide range of policy issues. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Advisory Committee of the Thornburgh Forum on Law and Public Policy at the University of Pittsburgh.
Selected by his peers as one of Pennsylvania’s Super Lawyers for several years, Mr. Ehrenwerth has been designated as a Fellow of the Allegheny County Bar Association. Mr. Ehrenwerth has received the State of Israel Bonds Legal Division Award for distinguished service to the legal profession and the Jewish and civic communities of the Tri-State Area. He also was the recipient of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Jewish Committee’s Human Relations Award for his efforts in support of international and intergroup relations.
Prior to joining K&L Gates, Mr. Ehrenwerth served as an Assistant Attorney General of Pennsylvania and as Assistant Counsel for the Pennsylvania Crime Commission. Mr. Ehrenwerth is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the University of Pittsburgh where he earned high honors and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and selected as Senior Man of the Year.
"Confessions of a public servant in Washington," a Post-Gazette article written by David Ehrenwerth.
