Exhibit 31.1

                                 CERTIFICATIONS

I, Gordon D. Harnett, certify that:

         1.       I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Brush
                  Engineered Materials Inc. (the "Company");

         2.       Based on my knowledge, this quarterly report does not contain
                  any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a
                  material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light
                  of the circumstances under which such statements were made,
                  not misleading with respect to the period covered by this
                  quarterly report;

         3.       Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other
                  financial information included in this quarterly report,
                  fairly present in all material respects the financial
                  condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company
                  as of, and for, the periods presented in this quarterly
                  report;

         4.       The Company's other certifying officer and I are responsible
                  for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and
                  procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-14 and
                  15d-14) for the Company and we have:

                  a)       designed such disclosure controls and procedures to
                           ensure that material information relating to the
                           Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is
                           made known to us by others within those entities,
                           particularly during the period in which this
                           quarterly report is being prepared;

                  b)       evaluated the effectiveness of the Company's
                           disclosure controls and procedures as of a date
                           within 90 days prior to the filing date of this
                           quarterly report (the "Evaluation Date"); and

                  c)       presented in this quarterly report our conclusions
                           about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls
                           and procedures based on our evaluation as of the
                           Evaluation Date;

         5.       The Company's other certifying officer and I have disclosed,
                  based on our most recent evaluation, to the Company's auditors
                  and the Audit Committee of the Company's Board of Directors:

                  a)       all significant deficiencies in the design or
                           operation of internal controls which could adversely
                           affect the Company's ability to record, process,
                           summarize and report financial data and have
                           identified for the Company's auditors any material
                           weaknesses in internal controls; and

                  b)       any fraud, whether or not material, that involves
                           management or other employees who have a significant
                           role in the Company's internal controls; and

         6.       The Company's other certifying officer and I have indicated in
                  this quarterly report whether or not there were significant
                  changes in internal controls or in other factors that could
                  significantly affect internal controls subsequent to the date
                  of our most recent evaluation, including any corrective
                  actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material
                  weaknesses.

                                                /s/ Gordon D. Harnett
Dated: August 11, 2003                          -----------------------------
                                                Gordon D. Harnett
                                                Chairman, President and Chief
                                                  Executive Officer