United Way of Central Indiana has filled a long-vacant position in public policy, signaling it intends to deepen its involvement in education issues.

The organization announced on Oct. 26 it had hired Laura Mervilde, a former policy manager for Eli Lilly and Co.

“For budget reasons, this position had remained vacant for a number of years,” UWCI’s CEO Ellen Annala said in a prepared statement. “However, filling the position became a board priority and signals the importance of public policy, especially related to our education priority because sometimes it’s policy change that will have the greatest impact on families and children.”
 

Mervilde

In addition to raising money for area human-service organizations, UWCI runs its own education programs designed to decrease the high-school dropout rate in Marion County.

Mervilde has a bachelor’s degree in public affairs from Indiana University and a master’s in public administration from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.