Experienced public affairs strategist Kim Preston joins The Mind Trust as Senior Vice President of Policy
The Mind Trust, an Indianapolis-based education nonprofit, has hired Kim Preston as Senior Vice President of Policy. Preston will join the organization’s leadership team and will lead The Mind Trust’s policy work at state and local levels.
“I am thrilled to have Kim Preston join The Mind Trust and add her to our leadership team,” said Brandon Brown, CEO of The Mind Trust. “Kim’s decades of public affairs experience and impact in Indianapolis and at the national and state level will help move the needle on solutions that center the needs of students and families. The Mind Trust is proud to welcome her to our team and we look forward to her leadership to enhance our policy work.”
As Senior Vice President of Policy, Preston will lead The Mind Trust’s efforts to advance and support local and state policies that advance access to high-quality education. She will also serve as the organization’s policy expert, create strategic partnerships, and serve as a key advisor to executive leadership.
Prior to this role, Preston served as Assistant Secretary of External Affairs & Partnerships for the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) where she led communications, strategic planning, and public affairs work for the state agency. Preston also previously served as Director of Communications and Director of Strategic Initiatives for IDOE. She has also served as Director of Workforce and Education Initiatives for the City of Indianapolis, and held communications and policy roles with U.S. Senator Dick Lugar and the Indiana Republican Party.
As a nonprofit organization, The Mind Trust’s staff is able to advocate for legislation that aligns with its mission and goals. Over the past few years, the organization has publicly advocated for legislation that closes the charter school funding gap, solves school transportation challenges, and funds high-quality academic out of school time programs to help students recover from the pandemic.
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 49 schools, 15 education nonprofit organizations, and has helped place more than 1,800 teachers and school leaders in Indianapolis classrooms.