Emerging Leaders Fellowship

The application for the Emerging Leaders Fellowship is now closed. 

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 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 – Establish Your Leadership

The first year is all about figuring out who you are as a leader and the kind of legacy you want to leave on the education sector in our city. Fellows receive ongoing development and coaching related to crucial conversations, establishing leadership voice, preparing for and leading team meetings, and change management. Fellows will complete a certificate in School Leadership and Management from Harvard Graduate School of Education and conduct multiple site visits to high-performing schools.

Year 2 – Master Your Craft

The second year emphasizes mastering your craft through personalized, specific development. Depending on your role, you may engage in Relay’s National Principals Academy Fellowship, Bridge Equity Education, Special Education Leadership Fellowship, MERCI programming for multilingual leaders, or the IMPACT Operations Fellowship.

Year 3 – Wield Your Influence

In year three, traditional programming is dialed back. In its place, fellows receive executive coaching and focus on building a network across the city. This could look like mentoring a year one Fellow, delivering professional development at local or national education conferences, or engaging in advocacy related to education issues.

Important Dates to Remember

The application for the next cohort of the Emerging Leaders Fellowship will open in January 2024. 

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 current Emerging Leaders Fellows

 

Avience Brown, Victory College Prep

Brown is the Assistant Principal of Humanities Instruction for the 7-12 School at Victory College Prep. She has also previously served as the 7-12 English Department Chair at VCP. She won the Black Excellence in Education Award 2020 and is an Indiana Teaching Fellows 2017-18 alumni.

Learn more about Avience.

Ciara Jones, Avondale Meadows Middle School

Ciara Jones currently serves as the Assistant Principal at Avondale Meadows Middle School and has 6 years of experience in education. Before her current role, she started in 2021 as an ELA teacher at AMMS where she increased ELA proficiency by 25.9% in her first year.

Learn more about Ciara.

Jessica DeLaCruz, Emma Donnan Elementary and Middle School, Adelante Schools

De La Cruz currently serves as a Multilingual Learner Teacher at Adelante Schools and has 7 years of experience in education. She has participated in the Indiana Latino Expo and the City of Indianapolis Mayor’s Office Axis Leadership Program along with three other fellowship and leadership programs.

Learn more about Jessica. 

Mary Brody, KIPP Indy Schools

Mary Brody is the Director of Instruction for grades 3-5 at KIPP Indy Public Schools. Brody was most recently a participant in KIPP’s Equity Working Group as well as their Emerging Leader Fellowship. In 2016, she won IPS #51’s Teacher of the Year Award, and in her first semester at KIPP, she won an Excellence in Teaching Award.

Learn more about Mary. 

Stephanie Rendon-Silva, Circle City Prep

Stephanie Rendon-Silva currently serves as the Director of Operations at Circle City Prep. Rendon-Silva was a participant in the Indiana Latino Expo and the City of Indianapolis Mayor’s Office Axis Leadership Program. She has been a nominee for Teach For America’s Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching and Indy Eleven’s Campeones de la Comunidad Awards.

Learn more about Stephanie.