Irvine, Calif., Sept. 12, 2018 - Neuroscience and education research nonprofit MIND Research Institute has named Karin Wu as its new executive director of social impact. Wu previously served as vice president of the engagement team which oversees public education and marketing efforts for the organization.
As executive director, Wu will lead a national team in the development of partnerships with corporations, foundations and individual donors, as well as nonprofit organizations that help build the STEM workforce pipeline and invest in the advancement of education innovation. Wu will report to MIND’s Chief Executive Officer, Brett Woudenberg, and will work closely with MIND’s board of directors to set vision and strategy for the growth of the organization as it expands into new areas of research and the development of industry-disruptive learning experiences.
“We are very excited to have Karin take on this new role,” Woudenberg stated. “In addition to her experience in marketing, education, business development and nonprofit management, Karin has played a critical role in shaping our organizational culture. She has established strong relationships with our philanthropic partners and built an engagement team that is highly equipped to advance our mission.”
Wu joined MIND in early 2015, spearheading inbound marketing efforts that helped the organization advance its profile as a thought leader in K-12 education and increase the visibility and awareness of its brand. Prior to joining MIND, Wu was executive director of a Seattle-based nonprofit serving at-risk youth and academic director and instructor at The Art Institute of Seattle. She also held various sales and marketing roles at Edmark, Riverdeep and Nintendo, and consulted for gaming divisions at Microsoft.
“In a country as rich in resources and human talent as ours, it is inconceivable to me that less than half of our students are proficient in math,” said Wu. “MIND’s mission is personal to me and to many of the extremely bright and passionate colleagues I get to work with every day. I am very honored to be selected for this role.”
Wu holds a Master of Arts in education leadership from Argosy University, a bachelor’s in international business administration from St. Mary’s University, and an associate’s in applied arts from the Art Institute of Seattle. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese.
About MIND Research Institute
MIND Research Institute is a neuroscience and education social impact organization, dedicated to ensuring that all students are mathematically equipped to solve the world’s most challenging problems. MIND is the creator of ST Math®, a visual instructional program that builds deep conceptual understanding of math through rigorous and creative problem solving to engage, motivate, and challenge Pre-K-8 students toward higher achievement. ST Math incorporates the latest in learning and the brain, promoting mastery-based learning and mathematical understanding. Longitudinal and broad-based studies across diverse population groups continue to demonstrate ST Math’s efficacy in building lifelong learners prepared for success in STEM fields. ST Math currently reaches more than 1.2 million students and 53,000 teachers at 3,900 schools in 47 states. For more information, visit mindresearch.org.
For more information contact:
Kelsey Skaggs
MIND Research Institute
949-345-8722
kskaggs@mindresearch.org
