“Many of my family members attended AU, so the university was always on my radar. Kogod also has the reputation of being an outstanding business school—it’s one of the top schools in the country,” says Lewis. “Twelve of my family members, including my four children, attended AU—three of my four kids graduated from Kogod.”

Lewis has maintained his connection to the university not only through his family ties but also by being a member of the AU board of trustees.

“I’ve been on the board for almost six years. I’ve met and connected with so many people through the experience,” says Lewis. “I’ve learned so much by participating in committees with other members of the AU community.”

He serves as a member of the campus life committee, the finance and investment committee, and the audit committee. Lewis is also the vice chair of the real estate subcommittee.

Most recently, Lewis connected with several of Kogod’s MBA students while they were on an immersion experience in Panama. He attended the Panama alumni reception, which brought current students and former Eagles together in one room. “These types of gatherings are so important. From speaking with the current Kogod students, I was impressed with how in tune they all are with what is happening in the world,” says Lewis.

Since Lewis and so many of his family members and friends have benefitted from an education that connects them to thousands of Eagles across the globe, he wanted to provide better educational opportunities to students within the public school system in Panama.

“Education can teach people to work hard and be honest. Learning to act with integrity and be humble are attributes that can take you a long way toward achieving your objectives so you can go far in life,” says Lewis. “Learning about human qualities is essential not only to the business world. Human relations are an important skill for everyone and one of the most useful skills in my real-world business development.”

American University’s School of Education—with the help of Lewis—has developed Panama Teach. Lewis’s donation helped make it possible for a study to be done to hear from Panamanian teachers about what they need so they can expand their teaching skills. Two thousand teachers responded to the survey.

“This study gives us the data needed to improve the teaching environment so students can learn better. The next step is to develop an institute for teachers that will give them instruction and tools that they need to improve their teaching abilities,” says Lewis.

Lewis had the opportunity to learn from his familial connections growing up and, later, from his greater AU community and alumni network. Now he is turning his successes into action to help provide the same opportunities to young public school students and teachers in Panama so that they can not only benefit from the meaningful change our AU changemakers create in this world but one day come full circle to become changemakers themselves.