The Mind Trust hires Arion Clanton as Director of Community Engagement
The Mind Trust, an Indianapolis-based education nonprofit, today announced the hiring of Arion Clanton as Director of Community Engagement. In this role, Arion will support community engagement efforts with event planning, outreach, and managing a community advocate program. Clanton will also be integral to maintaining and developing collaborative relationships with community partners that support Indianapolis’ thriving education landscape.
“We are thrilled to have Arion Clanton join our team as Director of Community Engagement,” said Shannon Williams, The Mind Trust’s Executive Vice President. “His classroom and leadership experience, alongside his proven track record in building relationships between schools and community partners, will make him an impactful member of our team.”
As Director of Community Engagement, Clanton will lead The Mind Trust’s efforts to foster a better understanding of education innovation work in neighborhoods and communities across the city. He will coordinate robust community engagement activities, including community conversations, school open houses, and other efforts to engage diverse communities across Indianapolis.
He most recently served as the Assistant Director of Academics for Invent Learning Hub and has worked in the education field for nearly a decade. Clanton holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wabash College, a Master’s of Education from Christian Brothers University, and a Master’s of Educational Leadership from Christian Brothers University.
Clanton will support The Mind Trust’s work to grow high-quality public schools, deliver more equitable conditions across the Indianapolis education landscape, and triple the number of students in Indianapolis who are academically proficient by 2027. Since 2006, The Mind Trust has supported the launch of 45 public charter and innovation network schools in Indianapolis that currently serve more than 12,000 students.
“I am excited that Arion chose to bring his talents to The Mind Trust,” said Lauren Peterson, The Mind Trust’s Vice President of Community Engagement. “He is deeply passionate about strengthening our community and his experience and talents position him to serve well on behalf of Indianapolis families and students.”
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, 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, diverse educators to launch new schools, and providing existing schools with the support they need to hire world-class talent and achieve excellence. Since 2006, The Mind Trust has supported the launch of more than 50 schools, 15 education nonprofit organizations, and has helped place over 1,800 teachers and school leaders in Indianapolis.