Leadership team
Matt Campanario
Executive Director – All areas except Eastern Iowa, Minnesota Floor Covering, and Greater Wisconsin
During this time he also served as a subject matter expert for the Rigging Program at the International Training Center and was heavily involved in the Career Connections and ICRA programs.
In 2017, he was selected for the Executive Director position of the Carpenters and Joiners Training Fund. As Director, Matt has enjoyed the challenges of updating curriculum and standards, building a high functioning team, and improving technology in the programs.
When Matt is not working he can be found spending time with his family and enjoys fishing on Lake Superior.
Dwayne Benson
Director
Dwayne has been an instructor at the LJ Shorten Campus since 2014 and has worked on many projects, including Foreman and Bridge Crane training development, and the latest revision of the Rigging Curriculum at the United Brotherhood of Carpenters’ International Training Center.
Christopher Favreau
Floor Covering Coordinator
Chris is a third-generation floor coverer and a 30-year UBC member. His background and experience as a floor coverer includes ten years in residential work in the 1980s and 11 years on commercial contract work in the 1990s, before beginning his teaching career in 2007. After instructing apprentices for three years, he became Coordinator in 2010. Over the past decade, Chris has participated in more than 40 manufacturer training classes. “It is with this continued education and manufacturer partnership that INSTALL and the JATC continue to be at the leading edge of quality, professionalism, and value to our contractors.”
Rob Giese
Training Director for Greater Wisconsin
Rob has 27 years in the trade as a millwright. He has worked for a number of contractors throughout the United States, starting as journeyman, progressing to foreman, then superintendent, then site superintendent. He has a passion for the trades and believes the skills we possess shape the country we live in. He believes that with training functioning at a high level, we have the ability to shape our culture through the students that leave our programs—enabling our contractors to have a highly skilled workforce that will serve their needs for generations to come.
Brittini Kircher
Director
After earning her Bachelor of Science in 2011, Brittini joined the team with a background in marketing and education in October of the same year. Brittini’s focus after entering the industry was to bridge communication gaps, create an apprenticeship model that’s competitive with the overall construction commerce, and explore curriculum advancements within the program, all while building long-lasting relationships with our industry partners.
Brittini has since expanded her offering across four training centers in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota, where she continues to pursue excellence in education and strong community partnerships while offering first-class learning experiences to all valued members within the United Brotherhood of Carpenters.
Ben Pratt
Regional Coordinator
After two tours and seven honorable years serving in the United States Army-Infantry, Ben decided to try something new. He spent a couple of years working in the automotive industry before moving home to northern Minnesota in 2005, where he jumped at the opportunity to become a UBC Millwright. During and after his apprenticeship, Ben worked primarily in the Mining, Powerhouse and Renewable Energy industries. Excited for another opportunity, he left the field to work as a training instructor. Ben has been in his current role as Training Coordinator since April 2015.
Wally Kirchoff
Regional Coordinator
Wally began his Union career in 1998 with a Twin Cities area drywall contractor. He attended one of the first UBC Journeymen Leadership classes in 2012 at the International Training Center where he gained enthusiasm to take the next step with the union. Soon after in 2013, he started teaching part time at the Twin Cities training campus for nearly 6 months before making the decision to teach full time. Wally earned his instructor certification through the ITC in 2017. Demonstrating hard work and perseverance, he was advanced into the Southern MN Regional Coordinator position in 2020 taking on more responsibility. By keeping up with new technology, Wally is reinforcing time tested industry best practices and incorporating that into our training as the key to staying on the cutting edge and giving our apprentices the best training in the industry.
Anthony Fasano
Regional Coordinator
Anthony Fasano is originally from the Des Moines, IA area where he attended Southeast Polk High School. Anthony later joined the United States Marine Corps and attended college in Texas. He started his young career in residential work, eventually owning his own business. After joining Local 106 in 2006, he shifted his focus from residential construction to commercial construction where he worked every aspect of a jobsite from formwork to finish carpentry. Anthony enjoyed working a wide variety of jobsites from hospitals to power plans but changed directions and came to work for CTI in 2016 bringing over 30 years of experience with him. With his expertise and dedicated work ethic, Anthony was promoted to Regional Training Coordinator in October of 2019. When not in the training center you might find Anthony sitting sideline to one of his kids sporting events or at the park flying his drone.
Brandon Neddef
Pewaukee Training Center Coordinator
Brandon started his career as a Millwright apprentice with Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC) in 2006. He moved to Wisconsin in 2011 and became heavily involved with his Local Union. Realizing that it took member involvement to have a successful and robust Union for the future, he volunteered personal time to go to career fairs, high schools, middle schools, and job expos to spread the word of what a career in the Carpenters Union had to offer. It didn’t take long for his actions to be recognized and he was nominated as a trustee on the eBoard. He was elected to the financial secretary position, delegate to the council, chair to multiple committees, trustee to his MUIAR fund, and other leadership positions.
Brandon knows and understands that the apprenticeship, and the training it offers, is the foundation of the Carpenters Union. He also recognizes that times are always changing, and in order to have a successful future for our organization and society as a whole, we must adapt and change with it.
Leah Wester
Assistant to the Executive Director/AOM
Leah started her career with the Carpenters Training Institute in January 2011 as an administrative assistant. During this time, she has enjoyed getting to know the apprentices and watching them grow in their crafts. She also appreciated the positive impact apprenticeship programs and unions have on members’ lives. In 2013, she moved into an accounting role and continued to learn and grow with the Institute as it expanded to include Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. In early 2018, Leah earned the opportunity to transition into the Assistant to the Executive Director role, where she has built on her previous experience and passion for apprenticeship programs. She is looking forward to continuing to work with apprentices, members, contractors, staff, and the union for years to come.