Experienced community engagement leader joins The Mind Trust
Indianapolis – (August 28, 2019) – The Mind Trust, an Indianapolis-based education nonprofit, has hired Lauren I. Peterson as Senior Director of Community Engagement. In her role, Peterson will activate Indianapolis families, civic leaders, and community members to support and join in The Mind Trust’s goal of creating a more equitable educational landscape with meaningful input from all stakeholders.
As a key member of the community engagement team, Peterson will work to empower the students, families, and community members who are most affected by changes to our education system in order to create schools that ensure equally high outcomes for all.
Peterson will oversee signature programs that encourage the Indianapolis community to engage in the work of supporting and growing great schools, such as the Education Bus Tour series. She will also work closely with The Mind Trust’s Fellows to create and execute outreach plans that are responsive to the needs of the students and neighborhoods their schools and nonprofits will serve.
“Lauren understands the value of authentic engagement, which is a virtue very important to The Mind Trust. Her skillset and values are perfectly aligned with our organization and we are excited to continue working with the community to ensure all Indianapolis children, no exceptions, have access to a high-quality education,” said Shannon Williams, Senior Vice President of Community Engagement at The Mind Trust.
Peterson has more than 25 years of experience in community engagement and business development within the public and private sectors. Most recently, she spent three years as the Manager of Community Outreach and Engagement with Enroll Indy, a school enrollment portal built to increase access to information and equity in the school selection process for families with students in Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade.
Prior to Enroll Indy, Peterson worked in community outreach roles at the GEO Foundation, Education Plus Services LLC, and the George and Veronica Phalen Leadership Academies. Peterson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Marian University. She has also volunteered with several community organizations, including Indiana Sports Corp, Indiana Black Expo, and Special Olympics Indiana.
About The Mind Trust
The Mind Trust is an Indianapolis-based education nonprofit that works to build a system of schools that gives every student in Indianapolis, no exceptions, access to a high-quality education. The Mind Trust does this by building a supportive environment for schools through policy and community engagement, empowering talented educators to launch new schools, and providing existing schools with the supports they need to hire world-class talent and achieve excellence. Since 2006, The Mind Trust has supported the launch of 29 schools and helped place more than 1,500 teachers and school leaders in Indianapolis classrooms. More information can be found at themindtrust.org.
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