Erik Telford

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Erik Telford

Senior Vice President of Public Affairs

Erik Telford is the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at the Commonwealth Foundation.

Erik is a senior public affairs and communications executive with more than 15 years of diverse experience across public policy, advocacy, and public affairs institutions. Before joining the Commonwealth Foundation, Erik served as the senior vice president at Stand Together Communications, the Koch network’s marketing and communications capability. Erik has also served as the president of the Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity, a state-based watchdog journalism organization. And at Americans for Prosperity, he was the executive director of RightOnline (an initiative he founded) and the director of membership and online strategy. He is currently on the board of the American Commitment Foundation.

In 2013, Campaigns & Elections Magazine honored Erik as an “Advocacy Innovator” and in 2011 as a “Rising Star in American Politics.”  Politics Online named him one of the “Top 10 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics.” 

Public Union Democracy

Teachers Pay the Price for their Unions’ Politics

  • October 22, 2014

CF recently attended a Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) rally with the goal of bringing our message directly to the teachers and families of Philadelphia. What exactly is our…

Media

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Public Union Democracy

Unions Bankroll Candidates on the Backs of Taxpayers

  • October 20, 2014

Government unions have not been reluctant to use their exclusive political privilege to finance candidates this election cycle. According to an AP analysis, four of the top ten…

Media

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Healthcare Problems Require Personal Solutions

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • October 17, 2014

Next month, Obamacare enrollment will start anew. Rather than a solution to an ailing healthcare system, this promises mass confusion, higher prices, and more families looking for help. …

Commentary

Read More: Healthcare Problems Require Personal Solutions

Education

Audio: PFT Fails Students, Teachers & the Poor

  • October 17, 2014

Matt Brouillette and other members of Commonwealth Foundation were on the ground at the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) protest yesterday, handing out fliers and letting teachers know how PFT…

Media

Read More: Audio: PFT Fails Students, Teachers & the Poor

Health Care

Audio: Healthcare Solutions Week—What Comes After Obamacare?

  • Elizabeth Stelle
  • October 16, 2014

Four years after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, few think healthcare is more affordable. Premiums and out-of-pocket costs are rising, a new wave of Pennsylvanians are losing their…

Media

Read More: Audio: Healthcare Solutions Week—What Comes After Obamacare?

Education

How the PFT Fails Philadelphia

  • James Paul
  • October 16, 2014

By standing in the way of tens of millions of new dollars for Philadelphia classrooms, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) has revealed its true identity—a self-interested,…

Media

Read More: How the PFT Fails Philadelphia