Who We Are
Commonwealth Educational Opportunities advances public policies that put Kentucky students first.
As a grassroots organization, we identify, organize, and train Kentuckians to support conservative educational policies based on limited government and free market principles.
Meet The Team
Thomas Davis, MD
Board Chair
Thomas Davis is an emergency medicine physician.
Dr. Davis is a product of school choice and is grateful for the many wonderful teachers in both public and private schools who inspired his love of learning.
He is passionate about ensuring that all children have access to the same opportunities that he has had.
He is married to an early childhood educator who has spent most of her career teaching Reading Recovery in low-income schools.
John Garen, PhD
Policy Advisor
John Garen is the BB&T Professor of Economics in the Gatton College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky.
Dr. Garen is the founding director and an affiliate of the Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise.
He serves as a Senior Fellow at the Pegasus Institute and on the Board of Scholars at the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions.
Gary Houchens, PhD
Policy Advisor
Gary Houchens is a former social studies teacher, principal and district administrator - serving in both public and private school settings.
He is a professor of education administration at Western Kentucky University.
Dr. Houchens is active in education policy efforts, serving on the Board of Scholars for the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions and as Senior Fellow with the Pegasus Institute.
From 2016-2019 he was a member of the Kentucky Board of Education.