Charles’ life experiences have shaped his personal outlook.

Charles Edan Lewis was born in Missoula, Montana on November 5, 1971.  His father, Jerry Lewis, was a land surveyor and his mother, Carol, was a waitress.  Soon after he was born, Charles’ parents divorced.  As a single mother, Carol raised six children mostly by herself.  Carol realized that she could have made more money going on welfare than by working her two jobs as a waitress, but her strong work ethic kept her working.  Nonetheless, the family continually lived below the poverty level, moving often and surviving with help from the Food Stamp and WIC programs.

With his mother often away at work, Charles would spend most of his days with his grandparents on their farm just outside of Missoula.  “Living on a farm definitely influenced my world view,” said Charles.  “I quickly learned that if you plant the seeds for growth on your farm or in your life, that they will grow through hard work and determination.”

When he was 13, Charles moved to Anchorage, Alaska to live with his father and step-mother Pam.  He attended Bartlett High School where he played on Bartlett’s State Championship Football Team and was Captain of the school’s State Championship Debate Team. When he graduated in 1990, he moved to Portland to attend the University of Portland.  Even though he had never been to Oregon before, he immediately fell in love with Portland.

While at the University of Portland, Charles had an experience that would shape his career in public service.  As part of his graduation requirements, Charles took an unpaid internship with U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield.  “I was pretty cynical about politics and politicians in general,” said Charles.  “One day I was in the Senator’s office quietly stuffing envelopes in a corner.  It was lunch time and the office was empty except for the Senator, a senior staff member, and myself (and I don’t think they even knew I was there).  I remember listening and watching as the Senator and his staff member looked on to the street below, talking passionately about the homeless and what they could do to help.  There were no cameras on them, no reporters in the room, and they didn’t even know that I was there, but I saw a great man genuinely concerned about the most impoverished people in our community.  From that point on, I knew I wanted to be an active part of the political process to help those less fortunate.”

Charles worked his way through college as an Alaskan construction surveyor during the summer months.  Charles worked 80 hours a week in some of the most remote parts of Alaska, helping survey in roads, houses, and recreational centers for military personnel.  Like his father, Charles was a Teamster and member of Local 959 throughout his college years.

Charles graduated from the University of Portland with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science (magna cum laude) in 1994.  Charles was awarded the Leadership Award from the Political Science Department and the Leadership Award from the Honor’s program.

Immediately after graduation, Charles joined the U.S. Peace Corps and served two and a half years as a Water and Sanitation Technician in the Congo.  Charles was posted alone in Ouesso, one of the country’s most remote areas, and helped bring fresh drinking water to over 1,000 villagers.  Ouesso is on the edge of the immense, tri-national wildlife park called “Nouabale-Ndoki”, or “the Park of the Sorcerers.”  National Geographic called Ouesso the entry point to the “Last Eden,” one of the last untouched rainforests in the world.  Charles built the well at the base camp in Nouabale-Ndoki that provides fresh drinking water to Michael Fay and Jane Goodall among many others as they work to help preserve this last untouched rainforest.

After completing his service in the Peace Corps, Charles returned to Portland and worked briefly for Fred Meyer’s Public Affairs Office and as a legislative assistant in the Oregon Legislature.  At Fred Meyer, Charles helped organize the fundraising for “The Dream,” Oregon’s monument to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  He later joined the Board of Directors and helped organize the dedication on August 28th, 1998, thirty five years to the day of Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech.

In 1997, Charles was accepted to the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  Because of his demonstrated commitment to public service, Charles was awarded one of the schools first Public Service Fellowships and received a full ride scholarship.  Charles returned to Portland during his summer break to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and to work as an Ombudsman Associate for Mayor Vera Katz.

At Harvard, Charles studied business and government and was elected Student Body President.  Charles graduated in 1999 with a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Excellence in Public Service, one of Harvard’s highest honors for public service.

After graduation, Charles returned to Portland, slept on a friend’s couch for a year, and started up Ethos, a nonprofit music center, on his credit card.  Charles started Ethos in response to budget cuts that decimated music education programs in schools throughout Portland.  Extensive cuts in the schools made the benefits of music something only the most affluent students could afford.  With over 2,200 students a year, Ethos has rapidly become one of Oregon’s largest and most successful music schools.  Ethos has gained a national reputation for reaching underserved youth and was twice selected as one of the top 50 after school arts programs in the United States by the President’s Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

In 2002, Charles was introduced to another community activist, Rev. Sarah Coakley from Piedmont Presbyterian Church.  When Charles heard that Sarah was a Presbyterian pastor, he quickly replied “I’m Presbyterian too!”  When she asked which church he went to, his answer lacked specifics, so she gently scolded him for sleeping in on Sundays.  The scolding must have triggered something, because after about a year of dating, Charles and Sarah hopped on a plane and eloped in Las Vegas, Nevada!  Charles and Sarah currently live on an unpaved road in the Cully Neighborhood with their dog, a yellow Labrador Retriever named Popcorn.

Interested in further developing their business skills while showing off their favorite city, Charles and Sarah started Portland Duck Tours in 2006.  Similar to other “duck tours” throughout the United States, this business uses a locomotive sized amphibious bus for land and water tours throughout Portland.  Unlike other tour companies, however, Portland Duck Tours uses bio-diesel to insure an eco-friendly trip and donates 5% of its profits to schools and nonprofit organizations.