John,

Did you hear the big news?             

Governor Holcomb announced two excellent new hires for Indiana last week -- with Dr. Katie Jenner as Indiana’s first-ever secretary of education, and Karrah A. Herring as Indiana’s first-ever chief equity, inclusion and opportunity officer!

Dr. Katie Jenner is the perfect person to lead Indiana’s critical education efforts in a time when the future of education has perhaps never been more important to our state.

Karrah Herring also brings the experience and passion needed as our state’s chief equity, inclusion and opportunity officer. She’ll work tirelessly to drive systemic change, improve state government operations, and develop strategies to remove hurdles in government workplaces and services -- just like Governor Holcomb laid out in his statewide address on equity in August. 

“This is an incredibly important time for education in Indiana. Dr. Katie Jenner has focused her entire career on investing in students, teachers and staff, and she will continue to build the relationships needed to move our state forward in constructive ways. As Indiana’s Secretary of Education, Dr. Jenner’s certification, work at nearly every level of education and her remarkable depth of experience will lead our state into this exciting next chapter.” - Governor Eric Holcomb

“My goal is to better build diversity and foster an inclusive environment within state government and the services we provide so every Hoosier can take full advantage of their gifts and potential. Karrah will guide every state agency with her impressive experience at one of our state’s world-renowned universities.” - Governor Eric Holcomb

Dr. Jenner brings experience as a K-12 teacher, school administrator, district administrator, and a vice president at Ivy Tech. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, she has served as Governor Holcomb’s senior education advisor.

Herring currently serves as the director of public affairs for the University of Notre Dame, a role she has held since 2011. Before that, she served on Notre Dame's Human Resource's Senior Leadership Team as director of the Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX coordinator. 

“I am grateful for the opportunity to further serve the people of Indiana. My priorities are to ensure high quality education for all students and families, and to provide solution-focused support for our teachers and educational leaders. We have great opportunity ahead in Indiana, and I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and work hand in hand with students, educators and stakeholder partners across the state.” - Dr. Katie Jenner

“I am honored to join Gov. Holcomb’s administration and be named the state’s first chief equity, inclusion and opportunity officer. This is an incredible opportunity to drive cultural change across state government workplaces and essential state services by increasing equity and inclusion.” - Karrah A. Herring

We couldn’t be more excited to announce this great news for our state — they will help us keep building One Indiana for All.

Thank you for reading,

Holcomb Crew