STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING LEADER
BRAND STRATEGY + ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
Building a brand people can live.
A brand is strongest when it goes beyond color, logos, and messaging. My goal was to create a thread connecting who School City of Mishawaka is, where we are going, and how we show up every day.
CONNECTED. DRIVEN. INSPIRED.
01 / DEFINING WHERE WE'RE GOING
Vision & Mission
The Vision and Mission provide the foundation for everything we do—they tell us where we are going and why we exist.
VISION
To be the region’s premier educational destination, where the warmth of a neighborhood school inspires a lifetime of exceptional achievement.
MISSION
We connect families, neighbors, and learners who choose a small-school feel with big-school opportunities, inspiring every student with meaningful learning to cultivate character, responsibility, and prepare them for lifelong success.
02 / TURNING STRATEGY INTO A BRAND
Our Brand Pillars
Connected. Driven. Inspired. became the bridge between the district's Vision and Mission and the way we communicate with employees, families, and the community.
CONNECTED
by Community.
Relationships, belonging and the connection between schools, families and Mishawaka.
DRIVEN
by Choice.
Creating opportunities and giving families and students reasons to choose Mishawaka.
INSPIRED
to Achieve.
High expectations, meaningful learning and opportunities for every student to succeed.
VISION
Where we are going
MISSION
Why we exist
CONNECTED. DRIVEN. INSPIRED.
Our brand
THE MISHAWAKA WAY
How we show up every day
03 / HOW WE LIVE OUR MISSION
The Mishawaka Way
The next phase of the work is updating the Mishawaka Way—our cultural framework for translating the district’s Mission and brand into everyday behaviors and expectations.
Rather than creating another stand-alone initiative, the goal is to align the Mishawaka Way directly with Connected. Driven. Inspired., creating one clear system employees can understand and carry into their work.
WORK IN PROGRESS 2026
04 / WHAT THIS WORK REINFORCED
A brand has to mean something.
Creating a recognizable visual identity is only one part of brand development. The greater challenge is building language and experiences that consistently reflect what an organization values.
By connecting the Vision, Mission, district messaging, and the evolving Mishawaka Way around the same ideas, the goal is to make Connected. Driven. Inspired. something people experience—not simply something they see.
