Commonwealth Foundation Welcomes Andrew Lewis as President and CEO

Harrisburg, Pa., September 4, 2024—The Commonwealth Foundation Board of Directors has unanimously named Andrew Lewis the organization’s sixth president and CEO effective September 19, 2024.

Lewis served four years in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and was a leading advocate for economic, personal, and education freedom. During his legislative service, Lewis was the prime sponsor of universal school choice legislation – an issue that aligns with the Commonwealth Foundation’s highest organizational priority. 

Before and after his service in the General Assembly, Lewis was part of Pennsylvania’s business community, first as co-owner of a family business and most recently as an executive with a large home building company. He is also a decorated U.S. Army veteran who served in the White House Communications Agency.

Incoming Commonwealth Foundation President and CEO Andrew Lewis issued the following statement:

“I am deeply honored to be appointed the next president and CEO of the Commonwealth Foundation, an organization that holds a special place in my heart. I extend my sincere gratitude to Charles Mitchell, our talented team, and our dedicated investors for their unwavering commitment to building the Commonwealth Foundation into a beacon of free market principles. As I step into this role, I am both humbled and inspired by the opportunity to lead us into the next chapter of our mission—to transform free market ideas into actionable public policies that benefit the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I look forward to working alongside our exceptional team as we continue to champion policies that reflect the values we hold dear and that contribute to the prosperity of our Keystone State.”

Outgoing President and CEO Charles Mitchell issued the following statement:

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to help build the Commonwealth Foundation into the juggernaut it is today. I am delighted to hand the reins to Andrew Lewis, a trusted colleague who, as both a lawmaker and a philanthropic business leader, helped us win historic victories in the nation’s largest swing state: creating over $600 million in school choice scholarships, enacting bipartisan pension and criminal justice reforms, stopping over $30 billion in tax increases, and much more.”

Mitchell has been associated with Commonwealth Foundation for 20 years, initially as a grassroots activist and subsequently as a donor and executive. He requested earlier this year that the organization’s board initiate a succession process to allow Mitchell to focus on building new institutions that advance the education revolution in Pennsylvania. As of September 19, Mitchell will be a Commonwealth Foundation senior fellow, at the request of Lewis and the board, and an employee of a higher education organization.

Commonwealth Foundation Board Chairman George Coates issued the following statement:

“On behalf of the Commonwealth Foundation Board of Directors, I am delighted to welcome Andrew Lewis as our new president and CEO. Andrew brings a wealth of experience in public policy, business, and distinguished military service that will be invaluable as Pennsylvania’s leading policy advocate for education choice, energy freedom, and a broad array of policy solutions that allow all Pennsylvanians to flourish. Under his leadership, the Commonwealth Foundation will reach new heights.”

About Commonwealth Foundation: 

The Commonwealth Foundation is Pennsylvania’s intellectual leader for free-market ideas and policy solutions that advance educational opportunity, public sector labor reform, fiscal responsibility, and a better economic climate. Over the past decade, the organization has driven landmark achievements in these areas on a bipartisan basis. 

Commonwealth Foundation’s ongoing work to expand school choice in Pennsylvania has significantly grown tax credit scholarship programs while protecting against regulations and funding cuts that would harm charter school students. Over the last three years, the Commonwealth Foundation has been the leading voice in securing $350 million in tax credit cap increasesto theEducational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Scholarship and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs, enough to serve approximately 75,000 additional students. The group has also been the leading advocate for the enactment of Lifeline Scholarships, which would provide financial assistance to underserved children trapped to chronically failing public schools. 

For years, Commonwealth Foundation has also been at the forefront of advocating for fiscal responsibility, working with lawmakers to pass more responsible budgets, enact business tax reform, rebuild the Rainy Day Fund, achieve historic pension reform, and blocking proposed tax hikes—saving taxpayers more than $33 billion.

In championing the fight for liberty and prosperity in Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Foundation has removed barriers to opportunity through its support of telemedicine, occupational licensing, and regulatory reforms. The organization’s efforts to fight overregulation helped Pennsylvania become the number one state for electricity exports—reducing carbon emissions even while expanding electricity generation through bipartisan permitting reforms.

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The Commonwealth Foundation transforms free-market ideas into public policies so all Pennsylvanians can flourish