Mindy McWilliams Lewis '75

2006–2011

Mindy McWilliams Lewis '75 graduated from Mount Holyoke with an A.B. in theatre arts.  A year later in 1976, she received her M.S. degree in mass communications from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Most recently, after a 25-year corporate career, Ms. Lewis retired from Cummins, Inc. in Columbus, Indiana, where she was Director of Corporate Contributions and Associate Director of The Cummins Foundation. While at Cummins, she held various other positions in government relations, community relations, and human resources. Before joining Cummins, Ms. Lewis worked in the public and nonprofit sectors as Press Secretary/Administrative Assistant to Congressman Harold Ford (D-TN) and Assistant Director of Communications for the Washington, D.C. Urban League. Her professional focus now is managing the development and growth of the Lewis McWilliams Rollins Hubbard Family Foundation, Inc.

In addition to her professional experiences, Ms. Lewis serves on several boards at the local, state, and national levels. In her home community, Ms. Lewis was the first African American to be elected to the Columbus/Bartholomew County School Board, where she served two four-year terms; she was board president for three years during her tenure. At the state level, she is an appointee by the Indiana State Senate Pro-Tem to the Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males. At the national level, she serves on two Washington, D.C.-based organizations: Impact Strategies/Forum for Youth Investment and Grantmakers for Children, Youth, and Families.

As an alumna, Ms. Lewis is a member of the Campaign for Mount Holyoke 2010 Steering Committee and served on the Campaign for Mount Holyoke 2003 Legacy of Diversity Committee. Her volunteer roles with the Alumnae Association have included membership on three committees—Alumnae Development, Nominating, and Classes and Reunion; she served an additional term on the Classes and Reunion Committee as its chair. She has also attended several MHC Black Alumnae Conferences. Her Class of 1975 work has included serving as Class Agent, Head Class Agent, Cornerstone Rep, and Reunion Caller. In 1989, Ms. Lewis was the recipient of the MHC Mary Lyon Award; in 2000, she received the MHC Alumnae Medal of Honor.

Ms. Lewis is married to John L. Lewis, Dartmouth College ’75. They have two daughters: Alexis M. Lewis, MHC Class of 2005, and Jessica M. Lewis, who is a senior at Stanford University.