Emerging Leaders Fellowship

The application is now open! All materials are due on Friday, February 28, 2025 at 11:59pm EST.

Start Your Application

Shift Your Leadership Into High Gear

The Emerging Leaders Fellowship is a three-year fellowship for educators who are eager to expand their impact on our city’s students. 

Fellowship Highlights:

  • Designed for emerging education leaders to accelerate their development and impact
  • Three-year cohort experience that is both community-focused and highly-personalized
  • $30,000 stipend split across three years, contingent on remaining at your school
  • National cohort trips to visit and learn from other high-performing professionals and innovative schools
  • Extensive expertise, coaching, and development from The Mind Trust’s team and development experts that is individualized to your role and professional trajectory

Who is the Emerging Leaders Fellowship Designed for?

The Emerging Leaders Fellowship is designed for educators in Indianapolis education. People who hold roles like Director of Special Education, Assistant Principal, Multilingual Learners Coordinator, or Dean of Culture are likely a good fit for this fellowship opportunity. 

To be eligible for the Fellowship, candidates must be working in an Indianapolis charter or innovation school and commit to staying at their school for three years while participating in the fellowship. Fellows receive a $30,000 stipend for program participation. This stipend is contingent upon a fellow remaining at their school throughout the fellowship.

Emerging Leaders Fellowship Program Details

The Emerging Leaders Fellowship is designed to guide fellows through a three-year arc of learning and development. Fellows will receive a mixture of in-person and virtual training. Each year, fellows must produce tangible work products.

Year 1 – SELF

In year one, Fellows leverage their existing strengths and explore what they value to better understand themselves as leaders. They use this knowledge of self to engage and inspire others. Formal development covers topics like:

  • Aligning your goals to your role.
  • Establishing your leadership presence in meetings, check-ins, and while leading professional development.
  • Holding yourself and your team accountable.
  • Excellent school visits.
  • Sample calendar here.

Year 2 – SCHOOL

In year two, Fellows bolster the specific technical skills they need to achieve in their role at a high level. Fellows are paired with an executive coach who understands the specifics of the Fellow’s role. A Director of Operations, for example, would be coached by a Chief Operating Officer. The second year is about increasing the Fellows impact at their school.

Formal development covers topics like:

  • Change management.
  • Leading through others.
  • Managing across differences.
  • Peer school visits.
  • Sample calendar here.

Year 3 – SYSTEM

In year three, Fellows are exposed to the larger ecosystem in which their schools sit. Fellows learn about the challenges other sectors face in Indianapolis, are given a mentor who works in a different field, and take a trip to the statehouse to engage in education policy.

Formal development covers topics like:

  • Power and politics in education.
  • Public school finance.
  • Charter school board governance and authorizers.
  • History of Public Education in Indiana.

Important Dates to Remember

The application for the next cohort of the Emerging Leaders Fellowship is now open. Start your application here. 

Do you have any questions about the Emerging Leaders Fellowship or how to apply? Contact our Senior Director of Leadership and School Development Luke Lennon at llennon@themindtrust.org.

Email Luke

Meet the Emerging Leaders Fellows

Learn more about the Emerging Leaders Fellows in cohort 1 and cohort 2 by visiting our Fellows page.

Learn more about our Fellows