Congressman Charlie Dent is the Executive Director and Vice President of the Aspen Institute Congressional Program. He also serves as a political commentator for CNN; he is a Senior Policy Advisor to DLA Piper; and he serves on the Boards of CARE USA, Research America, and the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.

Congressman Dent served 7 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 15th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. Before his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Dent served for 6 years in the Pennsylvania State Senate and 8 years in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Congressman Dent holds a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Service and International Politics and a Master’s of Public Administration. He was a Distinguished Advisor for Pew Charitable Trusts, a former Visiting Fellow for the University of Pennsylvania and Perry World House, and he was the inaugural Visiting Fellow at Penn State’s McCourtney Institute for Democracy.