Jan & Tom Lewis

As guests meander into the Desert Botanical Garden, they pass through the Jan and Tom Lewis Desert Portal. The feature in the heart of the garden is a place where visitors can enjoy the plantings – and shade from an architectural trellis. The portal, which debuted in 2015, was conceived by Tom Lewis as a surprise to honor his wife, Jan, who has served on the board of Desert Botanical Garden for more than a decade.

Tom is the founder of the T.W. Lewis Company, a Phoenix-based real estate investment firm. Jan serves not only on the Desert Botanical Garden board, but also on the Florence Crittenton board and the Women’s Board of Barrow Neurological Foundation, and she is active in ASU Women and Philanthropy.

As with the Desert Botanical Garden feature, most of their giving is in Arizona, their home since 1979. During this past year, they dedicated significant matching gifts to both Barrow Neurological Institute and Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center.

At Barrow, funds will establish the Jan & Tom Lewis Migraine Treatment Program, offering multidisciplinary patient-care options and leading research and clinical trials. Jan, a migraine sufferer, receives treatment at Barrow, enabling her to wake up in the morning without incapacitating pain. She wants others to experience the same relief.

The gift to the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center will establish a first-of-its kind Melanoma Center of Excellence. This gift is personal for Tom, who lost his father to melanoma at age 66 and has also had melanoma.

Through the T.W. Lewis Foundation, established in 2000, they provide leadership and financial support to multiple nonprofits that help children and families in need. Since 2002 they have awarded more than 200 college scholarships – to students attending Arizona schools as well as students at the University of Kentucky and the University of North Carolina, Tom’s alma maters. A recent gift – the single largest in the school’s history – established the Lewis Honors College at the University of Kentucky.