facebook-logo-button twitter-logo-button new-email-outline-symbol-in-black-circular-button

Meet Jason Lewis

State Senator Jason Lewis proudly represents the people of the Fifth Middlesex District of Massachusetts, which includes the cities and towns of Malden, Melrose, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield, and parts of Winchester. First elected to the Senate in 2014, he has delivered results for his district and been a progressive leader for the Commonwealth.

Senator Lewis has long championed educational equity and led the effort to pass the Student Opportunity Act in 2019, landmark legislation to ensure that every child in Massachusetts has access to a high quality public education. Senator Lewis also led the effort in 2018 to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and to create a new universal paid family and medical leave program. He was recognized for this achievement by being named an Honorable Mention for the 2018 Bostonians of the Year by the Boston Globe.

Senator Lewis is a member of Senate President Karen Spilka’s leadership team. He serves as the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Education, and the Assistant Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. He also co-founded and co-chairs the legislature’s Prevention for Health Caucus and Zero Waste Caucus.

Senator Lewis was born in South Africa and came to the United States with his family when he was twelve years old. His experience growing up in a segregated society — as South Africa was under the racist apartheid system at the time — grounded him with a deep sense of social justice, and he has been outspoken on issues of racial, gender, and LGBTQ equality.

Senator Lewis was elected to the State Senate following five years serving in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Prior to entering public service, he had a long track record of accomplishment in the private sector, having helped build two successful software companies. He began his career in management consulting before holding a number of senior management roles with RSA Security, a Bedford-based software company that is now part of Dell EMC. Later, he was the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Endeca Technologies, a venture capital-backed software company in Cambridge that is now owned by Oracle.

Senator Lewis attended public schools, and, with the help of merit scholarships, graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College. He also earned a MBA degree from Harvard Business School.  

Jason and his wife, Susan, live in Winchester. They have two daughters, Sophie and Jessie. Susan is a middle school science teacher and also serves on the Board of the Network for Social Justice (formerly Winchester Multicultural Network). Jason is an elected member of Winchester Town Meeting. He previously served on the Winchester Finance Committee, the Winchester Master Plan Steering Committee, and the Board of Trustees of the Winchester Foundation for Educational Excellence.

Awards

  • Humane Society of the United States, State Legislator Award (2011)
  • Massachusetts Public Health Association, Public Health Champion Award (2012)
  • Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials, Friend of MASBO Award (2012)
  • Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Legislator of the Year Award (2013)
  • Alliance of Massachusetts YMCAs, Legislator of the Year Award (2014)
  • Humane League, Legislator of the Year Award (2014)
  • Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Recognition for Child Vaccination Legislation (2014)
  • Massachusetts Library Association, Legislator of the Year Award (2015)
  • Housing Families, Certificate of Appreciation (2015)
  • Melrose Veterans Advisory Board, Certificate of Appreciation (2015)
  • Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, Certificate of Appreciation (2016)
  • Common Cause Massachusetts, Public Service Award (2016)
  • Advocates for Autism of Massachusetts, Impact and Achievement Award (2016)
  • Massachusetts Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (MCACS), John Collins Warren Award (2016)
  • The Arc of Massachusetts, Legislator of the Year Award (2017)
  • American Nurses Association Massachusetts, Friend of Nursing Award (2017)
  • AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, HIV/AIDS Legislative Leadership Award (2017)
  • Massachusetts Health Officers Association, Curtis M. Hilliard Award for Dedicated Service and Outstanding Achievement in Public Health (2017)
  • Triangle Inc., Public Servant of the Year Award (2018)
  • Alliance of Massachusetts YMCAs, Legislative Champion Award (2018)
  • Workforce Solutions Group, Legislative Champion Award (2018)
  • Boston Globe 2018 Bostonians of the Year, Honorable Mention (2018)
  • Malden Democratic City Committee, Joe Lawless Outstanding Democrat Award (2019)
  • American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Distinguished Advocacy Award (2019)
  • Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers,  Community Health Center Champion Award (2019)
  • Alzheimer’s Association of MA & NH Alzheimer’s Impact Movement, Outstanding Legislative Achievement Award (2019)
  • Arts|Learning, Legislative Leadership Award (2019)
  • Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Legislator of the Year (2020)
  • Massachusetts Reading Association, Reading Advocate Award (2020)
  • Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Legislator of the Year (2020)
  • Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Distinguished Service Award (2021)
  • Latinos For Education, Educator Diversity Legislative Champion (2021)
  • Dignity Alliance Massachusetts, Outstanding Dignity Legislator (2022)