The Mind Trust announces promotion of Shannon Williams to Executive Vice President, additional staff changes

INDIANAPOLIS – (July 1, 2021) – The Mind Trust today announced the promotion of Shannon Williams to Executive Vice President, alongside several other staffing changes that align with the organization’s new strategic plan. 

The overarching goal of the new strategic plan is to double the number of students within Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) boundaries who are academically proficient by 2027. The Mind Trust will accomplish this goal by growing and supporting transformational schools, engaging the community to ensure those most impacted by educational inequity are leading the necessary changes to our education system, and ensuring collaboration among a wide array of local education organizations as we work toward a common vision. The organization will do all of this with a cross-functional focus on racial equity in pursuit of a day when race and income no longer predict academic outcomes.

Shannon Williams joined The Mind Trust in 2018 and has led the organization’s community engagement and communications efforts for the past three years. Under Williams’ leadership, The Mind Trust’s community engagement and communications teams have significantly expanded in size, scope, and impact. Among her many accomplishments, Williams led the creation of Community Learning Sites, free community-based learning hubs for Indianapolis students that provided structured environments to support virtual learning during the pandemic. Williams has also led the incubation of a new parent advocacy organization, deepened The Mind Trust’s ties within the faith community, established partnerships with many community based organizations, and transformed The Mind Trust’s approach to external communications. 

In her new role as Executive Vice President, Williams will continue to lead The Mind Trust’s community engagement and communications efforts, assume increased internal and external leadership responsibilities on behalf of The Mind Trust, and will serve as a critical partner to the organization’s CEO as The Mind Trust works to double the number of students within the IPS boundaries who are academically proficient. 

“Shannon Williams is one of Indianapolis’ most respected leaders. During her three years at The Mind Trust, Shannon’s leadership has deepened our connections with a diverse group of Indianapolis stakeholders to ensure that those most impacted by educational inequity are leading the changes necessary to improve our education system,” said Brandon Brown, CEO of The Mind Trust. “I look forward to working with Shannon in her new role of Executive Vice President and am excited about the impact she will continue to make in service to Indianapolis children and families.”

In addition, Corrie Lapp has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Finance. Lapp played an integral role in the founding of The Mind Trust and has served in several capacities with the organization over the last 15 years, most recently serving as Senior Director of Finance and Operations. In this expanded role, Lapp will become a member of The Mind Trust’s leadership team and will play an increased leadership role in strategic financial stewardship, including budget development, investment planning and strategy, overseeing the annual audit, and managing regular financial statements and reporting. She will also continue to oversee technology and in-office operations.

As The Mind Trust works to deepen its impact, Kristin Grimme will assume the role of Senior Vice President of Strategy. Grimme joined The Mind Trust in 2016 and has led the organization’s school incubation efforts since then, most recently as Senior Vice President of School Incubation. In this new position, Grimme remains a member of The Mind Trust’s leadership team and will lead strategic efforts to build and maintain a strong education landscape in Indianapolis. Grimme and her team will leverage their extensive knowledge of the local, state, and national education sectors to strengthen the conditions for student success through policy and advocacy, develop equitable system-level solutions that promote student learning, and collaborate with a variety of education leaders to ensure rapid progress toward doubling proficiency levels for Indianapolis children.

“Over the last 15 years, The Mind Trust has supported the growth of high-quality schools for Indianapolis families, with the vision of ensuring every child, without exceptions, can realize their full potential through a great education,” said Brandon Brown, CEO of The Mind Trust. “I’ve never been more excited about the strength, diversity, and experience of our team. We are eager to continue partnering with our community to ensure that all Indianapolis children have access to a quality education.”

In addition to these leadership team changes, The Mind Trust also announced the following promotions and new hires.

Promotions

Paula Glover has been promoted to Director of Recruitment and Project Management within the Schools team. In this role, Glover will increase her impact in the areas of talent development, school growth, and school support. She will continue to cultivate relationships, build and maintain partnerships with education support providers, and work with the Schools team to provide targeted support for Indianapolis schools. 

Stacy Helmuth has been promoted to Senior Director of Development. Over the last four years, Helmuth has helped The Mind Trust raise more than $60 million. Moving forward, Stacy will continue to work closely with Lauren Rush, Senior Vice President of Administration and Alignment, to steward The Mind Trust’s funder relationships, while also leading the growth of individual and corporate fundraising efforts. 

New Hires

Mia Kern has been hired as the Manager of Data and Research, joining the Strategy and Special Projects team. Her primary role will be to monitor and analyze all data that informs The Mind Trust’s  strategic plan proficiency modeling on a regular basis, while also supporting the execution of special projects, policy research, and data needs across the team. Mia joins The Mind Trust from Charter School Specialists, an Ohio charter school authorizer, where she worked after graduating from Ohio State with a dual Masters in Public Administration and Masters in Public Policy.

Bernadette Monk has been hired as the Manager of School Support and Incubation, joining the Schools team. In this role, she will help support the Innovation School Fellowship cohort, track investments and targeted support for schools, and assist in coordinating events for the Schools team, such as professional development and conference events. Bernadette was most recently the Director of Data and Evaluation for Communities in Schools. She earned a Masters in Organizational Leadership from Mercy College