Michael Prihoda
MEdia and Creative content manager
Michael Prihoda is driven by a passion for education equity and using the written word to influence people and enact positive change. He started his career as a middle school English teacher before transitioning to a role in development and communications at The Mind Trust, an Indianapolis-based education nonprofit. During his time there, he helped secure a $20 million grant, the single largest in the organization's history; expanded their communications strategies through myriad writing projects; and amplified the voices of those at the forefront of the education change movement in Indianapolis through multimedia initiatives. He also previously served as the editor-in-chief of After the Pause, an experimental literary magazine, for eight years.
At the Institute, Michael serves as the Media and Creative Content Manager. In this role, he forges trusted relationships with traditional and new media; amplifies the Institute's reach and key messages across different mediums; and crafts positive stories of change with a focus on uplifting the stories of how public innovators and communities use the Institute's approach to unleash their potential.
Michael is a published author of multiple poetry collections and a collection of short stories who spends his spare time reading and designing board games. He lives outside Indianapolis, IN, with his wife, Jenna, and their coterie of pets (Kevin, the miniature Bernedoodle; Stinky and Newman, the cats; and Winston and Ned, the goldfish).