About EmpowerED Families

Connecting Indianapolis Families and Community Members to Education

EmpowerED Families’ mission is to build power through relationships and equip families with the tools and resources they need to fight for high-quality education. Our team hosts events, creates school and community partnerships, and facilitates discussion to ensure all voices, especially families and students, are heard in the Indianapolis K-12 education system.

Our team actively listens to the ideas of parents and community members who want to be involved in K-12 education. We also take action to ensure their perspective is heard by school and community leaders, policymakers, and other decision-makers. Learn more about our work here.

EmpowerED Families’ Advisory Committee

Shannon Williams, Advisory Chair

The Mind Trust

Barato Britt

Edna Martin Christian Center

Dr. Chantée Eldridge

Strada Education Network

Matthew B. Murphy, III,

Emboss Partners, LLC

Clare Pope

Family Concepts Services

Our Team

Carolina Figueroa, Director of Parent and Family Engagement

As our Director of Parent and Family Engagement, Carolina Figueroa, will lead the EmpowerED Families team in building powerful relationships and equipping families with the tools and resources they need to fight for high-quality education.

Figueroa brings more than 7 years of experience in community organizing and public education advocacy. She is a strategic and collaborative bilingual leader with expertise in community organizing, nonprofit and business operations, and policy advocacy. Before joining EmpowerED Families, Carolina was the Senior Community Organizer for Stand for Children, Indiana, where she trained and mobilized more than 500 parents and community leaders to advocate for public education equity and led advocacy efforts that resulted in the first Language Justice Policy passed by IPS. She is also the founder and CEO of Lingofied, a translation service, where she has supported over 50 clients with translation and language justice services.

Figueroa earned her Associate of Science in Business Administration from Ivy Tech Community College. She is also the founder and president of Naptown United Soccer Club, co-founder and active member of ALMA (Alliance for Latino Migrant Advocacy), and was a founding cohort member and mentor for Latina’s Welding Guild.