thomas cusmano

Thomas Cusmano

Regional Director, Strategic Partnerships

Thomas (Tom) Cusmano is Regional Director, Strategic Partnerships at the Commonwealth Foundation.

Prior to joining the Commonwealth Foundation in early 2022, Tom spent twelve years at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) and its student journalism subsidiary, the Collegiate Network (CN). Both ISI and CN educate, train, and mentor America’s most promising principled student leaders, scholars, and future journalists.

Tom has spent three decades facilitating development support for national, regional, and statewide charitable organizations. He says, “The greatest blessing of my professional life has been to assist an inspiring group of dedicated, patriotic, and generous Americans with their philanthropy. I now have the opportunity to return that inspiration for my home state of Pennsylvania through the worthy endeavors of the Commonwealth Foundation.”

Tom has been a Pennsylvania resident since 1994 and proudly proclaims another great blessing, living in Amish Country, where he, his wife, and family “found home.”

Bush: Time for a New Course

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 3, 2007

With Democrats in control in Congress, President Bush has decided to practice fiscal conservatism. In a letter to the Wall Street Journal, he promises to keep spending in check…

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Minimum Wage Impact

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 3, 2007

Coverage of the new Pennsylvania minimum wage and its impact on local businesses in the Carlisle Sentinel and the News Item. While local businesses feel the pinch and…

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Legislative Reform on Tap?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • January 2, 2007

Regardless of who is elected Speaker of the House (see here), both the Pennsylvania House and Senate have promised to take up reforms to make the legislative process more…

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Minimum wage: The rising tide that lifts all wages?

  • December 31, 2006

Carlisle Sentinel on PA’s higher minimum wage. Alhtough, our study is quoted, the context is not fully given. Our study does indeed claim that jobs will be lost; however,…

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Federal income tax data

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 21, 2006

In response to the commenter on my last post here are some numbers on federal income tax receipts: for 2000 and 2004 from the Tax Foundation and 2006…

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The Top 1% Pay 35%

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 20, 2006

Wall Street Journal article on how much “the rich” pay in taxes. Topics on this page The Wall Street Journal…

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Health tab for public Pa. retirees nears $34 billion

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 20, 2006

AP Story on the liability for health coverage for retired state workers. Preliminary estimates are that state taxpayers will have to contribute $1.125 billion annually to pay off the…

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Read More: Health tab for public Pa. retirees nears $34 billion

To lease or not to lease

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 20, 2006

From Capitolwire.com (subscription): While Gov. Ed Rendell waits for a Dec. 22 deadline for private firms to submit “expressions of interest” to lease the Pennsylvania Turnpike, public policy…

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Gambling board perks add up to $25M

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 18, 2006

No wonder the Gaming Control Board is asking for a bigger budget: Brad Bumsted and Andrew Conte expose the waste on perks, in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Topics on…

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Read More: Gambling board perks add up to $25M

Pension crisis on the horizon

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 18, 2006

The Scranton Times-Tribune looks at the looming crisis in our state pension systems, and how lawmakers bolstering pension benefits exacerbated this crisis. Also, Mark Scolforo of the AP with…

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Health care costs drive up Port Authority bill

  • December 18, 2006

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that 2,600 RETIRED government (Port Authority of Allegheny County) employees get to vote on CURRENT contracts! Giving the effective power of veto to FORMER employees has…

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Leasing the Turnpike

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 18, 2006

Sunday’s Patriot News looks at the potential terms of a turnpike lease, and the affect potential limits and mandates would have on the price of a lease. Also, check…

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Teacher pension hike could make tax cuts fleeting

  • December 18, 2006

Mark Guydish of the Times Leader focuses on how pension increases will outpace any property tax “relief” (i.e., shift) from Gov. Rendell’s historic Act 1 of 2006. Topics…

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Ending high school at 10th grade?

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 15, 2006

A new report calls for ending high school after 10th grade (students could then enter community college or have two years of college prep work, paying teachers a higher starting…

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Dubai firm to sell U.S. ports

  • Nathan Benefield
  • December 15, 2006

Dubai Ports World is selling their US Ports operations to AIG. Here are all the changes planned after a year of the Dubai firm and several years of a…

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