Charles Mitchell
President & CEO
Charles grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs in a family of railroaders, teachers, and small business owners. He is a graduate of Pennsylvania’s public schools, Bucknell University, the Koch Associate Program, and the Claremont Institute’s Publius Fellowship.
Charles first became associated with the Commonwealth Foundation when he was a college newspaper editor under attack for defending free speech. He became a Commonwealth Foundation investor in 2006, joined the staff as Chief Operations Officer in 2010, and became CEO in 2016. During that time, he has been honored with the State Policy Network’s Overton Award and the Heritage Foundation’s Distinguished Intern Alumni Award and recognized as one of City & State Pennsylvania Forty Under 40 Rising Stars.
In addition to his Commonwealth Foundation responsibilities, Charles serves as an elder of his family’s church, a founder of Threefold Schoolhouse: An Acton Academy, president of the Open Discourse Coalition, and a board member of Americans for Fair Treatment and the Franklin News Foundation.
Charles lives in the Harrisburg area with his wife and their four daughters.
Government Accountability
Pa. Supreme Court Grants Governor Unchecked Emergency Powers
July 1, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — The Pa. Supreme Court ignored the commonwealth’s tradition of checks and balances between branches of government in a ruling on a lawsuit between…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. Supreme Court Grants Governor Unchecked Emergency PowersGovernment Accountability
Pa. Shutdown Revolt Met with Threats from Governor
May 11, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — After this weekend's news that at least eight counties in Pennsylvania would no longer participate in the governor's reopening directives, Gov. Wolf has…
Press Release
Read More: Pa. Shutdown Revolt Met with Threats from GovernorGovernment Accountability
Op-ed: Lawmakers offer a way out of the coronavirus chaos
Gov. Wolf's insistence on going it alone and making decisions behind closed doors is crippling his credibility.
Commentary
Read More: Op-ed: Lawmakers offer a way out of the coronavirus chaosGovernment Accountability
Wolf’s Budget Borrows Billions and Attacks Schools of Choice
February 4, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa. — Today, Gov. Wolf outlined a massive spending and borrowing plan in his annual budget address. The $36.1 billion proposed General Fund Budget represents a…
Press Release
Read More: Wolf’s Budget Borrows Billions and Attacks Schools of ChoiceGovernment Accountability
CF Responds to Pa. House Speaker Mike Turzai’s Retirement
January 23, 2020, Harrisburg, Pa.—Today, Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Mike Turzai announced he will not seek reelection at the end of his term. Turzai, an outspoken…
Press Release
Read More: CF Responds to Pa. House Speaker Mike Turzai’s RetirementEducation
Students Need Scholarships, Not Vetoes
While the governor has repeatedly voiced support for freeing students from zip code-assigned schools that aren’t meeting their needs, he vetoed a sorely needed expansion of Pennsylvania’s scholarship…
Commentary
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Pa. Governor to Block Education Opportunity for Thousands of Students
June 13, 2019, Harrisburg, Pa.—According to news reports, Governor Tom Wolf plans to veto a school choice bill, HB 800, that would expand tax credit scholarships in Pennsylvania.
Press Release
Read More: Pa. Governor to Block Education Opportunity for Thousands of StudentsPublic Union Democracy
For Union Members, Knowledge is Power
Francisco Molina is standing up for himself and other public workers because he believes everyone deserves the opportunity to know and act on their rights. That’s the kind of bedrock…
Commentary
Read More: For Union Members, Knowledge is PowerCriminal Justice Reform
Can Criminal Justice Reform Unite America?
The following op-ed first appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Are partisan division and political bickering unavoidable in American politics? The headlines make it seem so, but it’s not true.
Media
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Remembering Yvonne Morgan
I have been blessed with some amazing moms in my life, and Yvonne Morgan—my “BUCC Mom”—was one of them. …
Commentary
Read More: Remembering Yvonne MorganCriminal Justice Reform
Tough on Crime, Smart on Justice
Commentators called it a “Christmas miracle.” In late December, Congressional Republicans and Democrats cooperated to pass the FIRST STEP Act, America’s most significant federal sentencing and prison reform…
Media
Read More: Tough on Crime, Smart on Justice
Supreme Court Restores Government Workers’ Rights
Nobody should be forced to pay for unions' political activity.
Commentary
Read More: Supreme Court Restores Government Workers’ RightsPublic Union Democracy
Time to Shed Light on New Workers’ Rights
This Labor Day marks ten weeks since the Supreme Court ruled in Janus v. AFSCME that government employees should not be forced to pay a union or risk losing their…
Media
Read More: Time to Shed Light on New Workers’ RightsPublic Union Democracy
Government Workers’ Rights Restored
In Janus v. AFSCME, the Supreme Court righted a decades-old wrong, striking down a coercive system and clearing a pathway for 330,000 Pennsylvania government workers to regain their long-denied First…
Commentary
Read More: Government Workers’ Rights RestoredEducation
A Choice for All Students
Barbara “Annie” Jackson waitresses at Roxy's Café just a short walk away from the Capitol building in Harrisburg. Eight months pregnant, Annie serves steaming plates of eggs and mugs of hot coffee…
Media
Read More: A Choice for All StudentsTaxes & Economy
Federal Tax Reform Helps Middle-Class Families
Hardworking families in Pennsylvania are burdened by an onerous federal tax structure that hinders rather than promotes economic growth and prosperity. That’s why Congress is working to overhaul the broken…
Commentary
Read More: Federal Tax Reform Helps Middle-Class Families
Investor Profile: Chet Beiler
Chet Beiler runs the nation’s leading gazebo retailer and, along with his wife, Sharon, is a longtime supporter of the Commonwealth Foundation. Recently, Charles Mitchell sat down with Chet at…
Commentary
Read More: Investor Profile: Chet BeilerCriminal Justice Reform
Keystone Criminal Justice
As lifelong conservatives, we’re proud to call ourselves tough on crime and to support lengthy prison terms for dangerous felons. But after a long, taxpayer-funded era of mass incarceration, it’s…
Commentary
Read More: Keystone Criminal Justice
Tom Smith: A Patriot and Friend
Tom Smith’s tenacity, courage, and leadership have encouraged our entire team to keep at it on the days when we are tempted to give up. Tom put countless miles on his cowboy…
Commentary
Read More: Tom Smith: A Patriot and Friend
They’re Complaining Because We’re Convincing
This morning’s Harrisburg Patriot-News includes an item that gives unfortunate credence to tired and lame allegations made by critics who are upset with CF’s effectiveness about our research…
Media
Read More: They’re Complaining Because We’re ConvincingPublic Union Democracy
Who’s Strangling Whom?
Jodi Hirsh wants you to believe that a shadowy, deep-pocketed, Washington-based organization called the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has a “stranglehold on our statehouse.” That’s the claim Ms. Hirsh,…
Media
Read More: Who’s Strangling Whom?