staff
President and Chief Executive Officer
David
Harris serves
as The Mind Trust’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
Working closely with Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson, Mr.
Harris designed and launched The Mind Trust. Previously,
Mr. Harris served as Mayor Peterson’s Charter Schools
Director, where he built one of the nation’s most highly
regarded charter school offices. As Charter Schools Director,
Mr. Harris created from scratch a full-scale chartering operation,
including a rigorous application process for new charter schools;
a comprehensive accountability system to monitor charter schools’ results
and report them widely to parents and the public; and a vigorous
outreach effort to induce capable people and organizations
to start charter schools in Indianapolis. The initiative received
Harvard University’s prestigious Innovations in American
Government Award in 2006 and has been widely cited in the national
media for its high level of rigor and transparency. 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.
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, the RCA Tennis Championships, and Ivy
Tech Community College of Central Indiana.
Chief Operating Officer
Corrie
Heneghan serves
as the Chief Operating Officer of The Mind Trust. As the COO,
Corrie oversees the operations and finances of The Mind Trust.
She is responsible for budgeting and financial reporting and
manages the organization’s daily operations, including
human resources functions, reporting to funders and contributors
and establishing policies and procedures for The Mind Trust.
From 2003 to 2006, Ms. Heneghan served as the Indianapolis
Charter Schools Assistant Director for Indianapolis Mayor Bart
Peterson. As the Assistant Director, Ms. Heneghan worked with
David Harris, the Indianapolis Charter Schools Director, to
implement the accountability system, develop oversight policies
and build the infrastructure of the Mayor’s charter schools
initiative. A graduate of DePauw University, Ms. Heneghan worked
with the Chicago Charter School Foundation from 2000 to 2002. Serving
as Co-Executive Director from 2001-2002, Ms. Heneghan oversaw
many aspects of the organization including finance and accounting,
school facility acquisition and development, and compliance
with the authorizer and the Illinois State Board of Education.
Director of Education Initiatives
Dr.
H. Douglas Williams began his career
with the Fort Wayne Community Schools, serving in
numerous roles, including teacher, coach and for
12 years, principal of Northrop High School. He
was employed as Superintendent of Schools in Perry
Township in Marion County in 1993 and served in
that position until 2007. He has enjoyed numerous
leadership roles during his career including serving
as president of the Indiana Urban Schools Association,
the Indiana University School Administrators Association,
the Central Indiana Educational Service Center,
the Indiana Public School Study Council and the
Fort Wayne Rotary Club. He has received several
awards during his career including Indiana Association
of Public School Superintendents’ State Superintendent
of the Year, 2003; Indiana PTA Outstanding Principal
of the Year, 1993; Champion of Diversity Award,
Indiana Minority Business Magazine, 2007; Indiana
High School Press Association Louis Ingelhart Award,
1994; and Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary International,
1993.
Dr. Williams has initiated or provided leadership in numerous collaborations
involving public schools and other entities. He provided leadership
in creating Indiana’s only public school partnership with
Edison Schools for two district elementary schools and instituted
numerous desirable Edison concepts in all district schools. He
served as the superintendent on the SEAM Steering Committee and
was instrumental in submission of and support for the Lilly Endowment
funded project linking high school and higher education educators
to better prepare young people for the rigors of university expectations. He
has served on the Steering and Executive Committees of the Indiana
SMART Project which links middle schools with business partners
to create real world, relevant learning opportunities for students. In
addition, he co-chaired an Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce Education/Business
Partnership Task Force which identified and supported interactive
partnerships in Marion County and which culminated in a highly successful
summit.
Director of Special Projects
Nicole
Wiltrout holds the position of Director of
Special Projects at The Mind Trust. She brings to
The Mind Trust her skills in community engagement and
public relations. She previously served as the Indianapolis
Charter Schools Accountability Manager for Indianapolis
Mayor Bart Peterson. In that role she was responsible
for compliance and accountability requirements for Mayor-sponsored
charter schools, served as the day-to-day point of contact
for school leaders, and coordinated all public events
and media relations involving charter schools. Prior
to joining the charter schools team, Ms. Wiltrout was
the Mayor's Special Assistant for Community Outreach. In
that role she coordinated strategy and outreach to neighborhood
and community groups, developed a Speaker’s Bureau
for the Mayor's staff to visit community organizations,
organized the Mayor’s monthly City Hall for a Day
events, and managed content updates to the Mayor's website. She
also served for two years as the Director of Public Relations
for the Indiana State Bar Association, where she was responsible
for all media relations and public outreach. Ms.
Wiltrout holds a degree in Journalism from Butler University.
Director of Advancement
Katy Brett
serves as the Director of Advancement for The Mind Trust. In this role, Ms. Brett’s
primary focuses are fund development, strategic partnerships, and organizational strategy.
Immediately prior to joining The Mind Trust, she served in the Office of Indianapolis
Mayor Bart Peterson, overseeing the development and design of a competitive grant process
aimed at taking a holistic community development approach to crime prevention. She previously
served as the Mayor’s Neighborhood Liaison for the near east and southeast sides of Indianapolis.
In this role, Ms. Brett served as the Mayor’s direct contact with neighborhood associations,
community development corporations, community centers, and businesses and worked with city
agencies to refine and better utilize policies relating to vacant and abandoned homes,
urban planning, economic development, and public safety. Before joining city government,
she held positions for Indiana 2016, a model for strategic planning and community development
in anticipation of our state’s bicentennial, and in the office of First Lady Judy O’Bannon,
including work on the Emmy-winning WFYI television series Communities Building Community.
Ms. Brett is a summa cum laude graduate of DePauw University.
