Mark Lewis, PhD

Learning and Evaluation Officer Mark Lewis, Ph.D., supports ECMC Foundation by helping drive its learning and evaluation efforts to inform strategy and decision-making and further shared learning across the field.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Mark helped drive significant improvements in gateway course completion through collaborative strategic planning; responsive leadership as the director of research and planning at Minnesota’s largest community college; the development of new actionable computational models of policy change and student learning and success; large-scale randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies; new program development in partnership with faculty, staff and local school districts; and system-wide policy advocacy for developmental education reform and innovation. He brings more than two decades of experience in advancing learning and student success across higher education. As a researcher, evaluator, instructor, consultant and senior administrator, Mark has focused on reducing barriers to postsecondary completion, strengthening institutions and building partnerships to support student success.

Some of Mark’s other accomplishments include launching a new line of cognitive and pedagogical research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison into improving math learning across K-20, designing student success-focused learning analytics, helping to build new approaches to educational research and development, and helping philanthropic foundations and nonprofits improve services for children and young adults. His math learning research has been published in high-impact journals like Psychological Science and has generated funding from NSF and NIH. His work with philanthropic foundations has helped support the participatory design, implementation and improvement of new student- and community-centered middle school and high school programs that have significantly improved belonging, course success, retention and graduation rates.

Mark holds a Doctor of Philosophy in educational psychology and a Master of Arts in higher education policy and administration from the University of Minnesota. Mark also completed post-doctoral training in educational neuroscience and math learning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Why are you working at ECMC Foundation and committed to working toward improving higher education for underserved learners?

To help build the future we ALL need. Together, we have the opportunity to dream and build a higher education ecosystem that empowers our people, our communities, our workforce and our nation.