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December, 2009 – NCYL Attorney and Skadden Fellow Jesse Hahnel has been chosen as one of two fellows by The Mind Trust, a national non-profit supporting education innovation and entrepreneurship, based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Jesse, and Stephanie Saroki, former director of K-12 programs for The Philanthropy Roundtable in Washington, DC, were chosen from a field of 405 applicants from 20 counties. Each will receive two years’ salary ($90,000/year) with full benefits, a start-up stipend, and ongoing support from The Mind Trust Board and staff, “enabling them to develop, build, and launch their initiatives in Indianapolis and nationwide.”
Jesse begins his Mind Trust Fellowship in September 2010, upon completion of his Skadden Fellowship, continuing his work on NCYL’s Foster Youth Education Initiative. The initiative helps foster youth receive the educational advocacy and opportunities they need, facilitating the creation of inter-agency education advocacy systems. These systems identify foster youth who show early signs of academic setbacks (e.g. absences, poor grades), and ensure these youth receive the educational advocacy, supports and opportunities required to succeed in school.
Jeffrey Lozer of the Indiana Department of Child Services praised Jesse’s fellowship award, noting his “initiative is very timely and will help us effectively pursue our goals by increasing the collaboration of the existing government and non-profit sector programs and refocusing local efforts around ensuring foster youth have access to stable and effective schooling.”
Jesse’s interest in education – and particularly in foster youth – stems from his experience as a classroom teacher in Washington, D.C. and New York City public schools, where he taught after college. His has also led the Research and Evaluation Team at the KIPP Foundation and worked with Partners in School Innovation. He has worked at advocacy organizations, including Public Advocates, Inc. and Stanford’s Youth and Education Law Project.
Jesse earned a B.A., cum laude, in Mathematics from Harvard College in three years, and graduated Order of the Coif from Stanford Law School.
“We continue to be overwhelmed by the response to The Mind Trust’s Education Entrepreneur Fellowship and the transformative ventures applicants propose,” said David Harris, the Trust’s President and CEO. “The Fellows we are selecting today will make an enormous difference in the lives of some of the most challenged young people in Indianapolis and across the country.”
To read The Mind Trust’s full release on the new fellows, click here
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