David Harris
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
David Harris is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Mind Trust. Under his leadership, The Mind Trust has raised $27 million to advance the work of education entrepreneurs in Indianapolis and accelerate positive change. Since its launch in 2006, The Mind Trust has supported the Indianapolis launch of 11 high-impact entrepreneurial education ventures, supported critical research and policy work designed to improve the climate for education innovation, and garnered widespread attention from local and national media, with The Indianapolis Star declaring that The Mind Trust is “at the center of the reform movement in Indianapolis.”
Previously, Mr. Harris served as former Mayor Bart Peterson’s Charter Schools Director, where he built one of the nation’s most highly regarded charter school offices; the initiative received Harvard University’s prestigious Innovations in American Government Award in 2006. In 2007, Mr. Harris was selected along with 24 other education leaders for the Aspen Institute and NewSchools Venture Fund’s inaugural Entrepreneurial Leaders for Public Education Program. Mr. Harris has received College Summit’s Let Talent Shine Award, Teachers' Treasures Caring Spirit Award and Junior Achievement of Central Indiana’s Indy’s Best and Brightest Award. He has also been named one of the Indianapolis Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 and was the inaugural winner of the St. Richard’s Episcopal School’s Eugene S. Pulliam Founders Medal for alumni who “demonstrate creative leadership and service that has benefitted society.”
Previously, Mr. Harris served as an Assistant Deputy Mayor for Planning. From 1997 to 1999, Mr. Harris practiced law with the Indianapolis firm of Baker & Daniels. While at Baker & Daniels, Mr. Harris was one of the chief researchers and drafters of the Peterson Plan, the Mayor’s 1999 strategy for running city government. He also worked as a Governor’s Fellow under Governor Evan Bayh and was a Lyndon B. Johnson intern in the Office of Congressman Andrew Jacobs, Jr. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northwestern University in 1992 and a law degree from Indiana University School of Law in 1997. Mr. Harris serves on the boards of the Nicholas H. Noyes Jr. Memorial Foundation and Teach Plus, and he holds a seat on the State of Indiana’s Charter Schools Review Panel. Mr. Harris also serves on the advisory boards of Western Governors University Indiana and the local advisory board for Teach For America.
Ken Bubp
Executive Vice President
Ken Bubp is the Executive Vice President at The Mind Trust. In that role, Mr. Bubp works to ensure strategic alignment across the organization and with its partners to build The Mind Trust's network of high impact entrepreneurial education ventures in Indianapolis. Prior to joining The Mind Trust, Mr. Bubp held the position of Chief Operating Officer at Conner Prairie Interactive History Park, a nationally recognized history museum that has experienced unparalleled growth and record attendance over the past decade. There he developed a national reputation for fostering innovative approaches to informal learning and driving strategic, audience-focused change.
Mr. Bubp currently serves in a number of community contexts, including as a member of the Board of Advisors for the Kelley School of Business Indianapolis and Nickel Plate Arts. In 2009, Mr. Bubp was awarded the distinction of being one of Indianapolis’ forty outstanding young professionals under the age of 40 by the Indianapolis Business Journal, and in 2010 he was named a member of Class XXXV of the prestigious Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series. Mr. Bubp holds a Bachelor's degree in History from Taylor University and a Master's degree in Business Administration from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University with a concentration in marketing.
Patrick Herrel
Vice President of Education Initiatives
Patrick Herrel is the Vice President of Education Initiatives at The Mind Trust. In that role, Mr. Herrel oversees The Mind Trust's work to foster education innovation in Indianapolis. Mr. Herrel launched and heads The Mind Trust's new Charter School Incubator, a program that will in its first year award two to four $1 million grants to leadership teams who plan to establish networks of high-performing charter schools in Indianapolis. Mr. Herrel's work also includes oversight of the flagship Education Entrepreneur Fellowship. Before joining The Mind Trust, Mr. Herrel worked on staff at Teach For America based out of Chicago, first as a recruiter and then as a Senior Recruitment Director for teams throughout the Midwest.
Although born and raised in the Midwest, Mr. Herrel graduated from The College of William and Mary in Virginia. He then began his career in education as a corps member with Teach For America. He taught 10th grade Civics & Economics at West Charlotte High School, and while on staff, he and a team of fellow teachers produced a 20-point jump in student pass rates on the North Carolina End of Course state test. This student achievement increase was the largest single increase in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district. At West Charlotte Mr. Herrel also coached the school's tennis team.
Ashley Allen
Education Initiatives Associate
Ashley Allen serves as the Education Initiatives Associate for The Mind Trust. In that role, Ms. Allen supports the innovative Education Entrepreneur Fellowship and Charter School Incubator programs. Both programs work to recruit and fund education innovations in Indianapolis.
Ms. Allen most recently served as Academic Counselor for the STARS Program and Head Women's Basketball Coach at Rend Lake College in Ina, Ill. As a result of this work, she brings a deep passion for ensuring all children have an equal opportunity to succeed.
As an undergraduate student, Ms. Allen held a starting spot on the women's basketball team and holds a bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University with a major in Technology Education and a minor in African American studies and Agricultural Systems Management. Ms. Allen is also currently pursuing a Masters in Education from McKendree University. Before college, Ms. Allen was an All-State basketball standout from Ben Davis High School.
Francesca Jarosz
Director of Marketing and Communications
Francesca Jarosz serves as Director of Marketing and Communications for The Mind Trust. In that role, Ms. Jarosz coordinates the organization's external communications efforts and guides strategic outreach surrounding The Mind Trust's programs and policy initiatives. Prior to joining The Mind Trust, Ms. Jarosz worked as a reporter at The Indianapolis Star and Indianapolis Business Journal, where she covered topics ranging from suburban government to inner-city crime. Her involvement covering debates over Indiana's education reform laws during the 2011 legislative session helped inspire her to become a direct player in the policy-making process as an education-reform advocate.
Jarosz graduated cum laude from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in 2007. In Indianapolis, she has played a role in improving outcomes for inner-city students as a mentor through Starfish Initiative and a tutor for homeless children through School on Wheels. She also has served on the board of the Indiana Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and is a member of class XXXVI of the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series.
Development Officer
Sarah Moore serves as Vice President of Strategic Growth Initiatives of The Mind Trust. Ms. Moore graduated Phi Beta Kappa from DePauw University, where she majored in Communications and participated in the Management Fellows Honors Program. Ms. Moore most recently served as the Global Corporate Communications Manager at ExactTarget in Indianapolis, IN where she led marketing efforts for the company’s global operations and established the organization’s internal communications infrastructure. Prior to her work at ExactTarget, Ms. Moore worked in development for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the nation’s third largest voluntary health organization.
Ms. Moore currently serves in a number of volunteer community roles, including: Board member for the Legacy Fund, a Central Indiana Community Foundation affiliate serving Hamilton County; Alumni Board member for Park Tudor School, an independent school for children age 3 through grade 12; and mentor for Exodus Refugee Immigration, an organization that works with refugees to establish self-sufficient lives in freedom and sanctuary for themselves and their families in Indiana. Ms. Moore is a 2011 graduate of Leadership United, the United Way of Central Indiana’s comprehensive community leadership and board development program, and is participating in class XXXVI for the prestigious Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership program. She was named The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 2010 Woman of the Year for raising $84,000 in a ten-week period, the capstone to several fundraising projects she’s done through the organization’s Team In Training and Light The Night campaigns.
Deborah Hirt
Individual Giving Manager
Deborah Hirt serves as the Individual Giving Manager for The Mind Trust. In that role, Ms. Hirt supports the Grow What Works campaign, focused on investing in the best and most promising education reform organizations in Indianapolis.
Ms. Hirt most recently served as a Project Manager at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. With expertise in research methods, proposal writing, and evaluation, she managed research studies for nonprofit organizations and foundations including United Way Worldwide, the Kresge Foundation and the Lions Clubs International Foundation. Ms. Hirt also specialized in tracking charitable giving to disasters and is a contributing author of Giving USA. Additionally, Ms. Hirt supported the Center on Philanthropy's $100 million endowment campaign. Prior to joining the Center's research team, Deb evaluated microfinance programs in Guatemala, and worked in advocacy and development at the Carter Center and Franciscans International.
Ms. Hirt is an active community volunteer with Exodus Refugee Immigration, the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, Giving Sum and IndyCog. She holds a Master's degree with a focus on nonprofit management from the University of California San Diego and received her Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Dayton.
Ethan Gray
Vice President and Director of CEE-Trust
Ethan Gray serves as Vice President of The Mind Trust, where he oversees The Mind Trust’s efforts to support education entrepreneurship nationwide through his work as director of the Cities for Education Entrepreneurship Trust (CEE-Trust). CEE-Trust is a national network of 18 city-based education non-profits, foundations, and mayors offices across the country that share best practices and collaborate to accelerate the pace of innovation and reform. Mr. Gray also works with The Mind Trust's Founder and CEO on The Mind Trust's research and policy initiatives. He is an honors graduate of Harvard College and holds a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in education policy and management.
Mr. Gray most recently served as the Policy Director at Be the Change, Inc. in Cambridge, MA where he led the policy agenda process for Be the Change, Inc.'s first campaign - ServiceNation - in an effort to expand national and community service opportunities. The resulting agenda, Strategies for Becoming a Nation of Service, strongly influenced the introduction of the Edward M. Kennedy "Serve America Act": a $5 billion bi-partisan bill, also co-sponsored by Senators Hatch and McCain, and then President-Elect Obama. Prior to his work as Policy Director, Mr. Gray was the Director of Education Policy for Be the Change, Inc. After college he worked as a research assistant at Education Sector in Washington, DC. In 2011, Mr. Gray was named one of Splashlife.com's "30 under 30: Innovative Educators" for his work with The Mind Trust and CEE-Trust. Mr. Gray serves on the Advisory Board of Innovative Schools in Wilmington, DE and is a Special Advisor to the Kauffman Foundation's Education Ventures Lab. Mr. Gray is an accomplished cellist and serves as the vice-president of the board of trustees for the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra.
Kye Hawkins
CEE-Trust Associate
Kye Hawkins serves as the Cities for Education Entrepreneurship Trust (CEE-Trust) Associate at The Mind Trust. In that role, Ms. Hawkins is focused on strengthening CEE-Trust’s program development, communications strategies, and member engagement. Ms. Hawkins recently completed an Education Pioneers graduate fellowship in Chicago, IL, where she managed Chicago Public Schools’ Back-to-School campaign, a strategic communications project that increased first-day attendance within the district by over 8,000 students. Ms. Hawkins previously served as Assistant Director of Admission at DePauw University and worked in advertising sales for the Chicago Tribune’s Entertainment and Key Accounts division.
Ms. Hawkins is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of DePauw University, where she majored in Communications and participated in the Media Fellows Honors Program. She also holds a M.Ed. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, where her research focused on college access for underrepresented students. Ms. Hawkins has served as a Big Sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cook County, as a mentor through the Champaign-Urbana One-to-One Mentoring Program, and as a Writing Coach for the Posse Foundation in Chicago.
Madeline Poulakidas
Director of Operations
Madeline Poulakidas serves as Director of Operations for The Mind Trust. In that role, she strategically manages the accounting, technology and administrative business functions to ensure and advance the productivity of The Mind Trust and drive its objectives. Prior to joining The Mind Trust team, Ms. Poulakidas worked as a public servant in a variety of capacities. Those include economic and workforce development at Develop Indy and EmployIndy, government reform at MySmartgov.org, and technology at the City of Indianapolis' Information Services Agency. Before moving to Indianapolis, she served as the Managing Director of Operations for Live Bait Entertainment, a film, music, computer animation, publishing and production house focused on wholesome entertainment.
Ms. Poulakidas graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from Anderson University and a Master of Business Administration in Marketing from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, where she currently serves on the Women's Alumni Board.