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Bart Peterson, former mayor of Indianapolis, plans to retire at the end of August as president and CEO of Christel House International, an educational not-for-profit founded by late businesswoman and philanthropist Christel DeHaan.
His impending departure was announced Monday by Christel House International, which operates K-12 public charter schools in high-poverty areas. He will be succeeded by David Harris, currently the executive vice president of Christel House International
Peterson, 66, served as Indianapolis mayor from 2000 to 2008. During that time, he championed charter schools. Harris worked as Indianapolis’ first charter school director under Peterson during his mayoral tenure.
Harris went on to become the founding CEO of Indianapolis-based not-for-profit public education group The Mind Trust in 2006.
“The timing of this transition is right,” Peterson said in a media release on Monday. “David is an extraordinary leader with a track record of success. In developing our comprehensive strategic plan to extend Christel House’s reach around the world, David helped ensure that this organization is well-prepared for a future of even greater impact.”
Founded in 1998, Christel House International operates schools in India, Jamaica, Mexico, South Africa and Indianapolis.
Peterson has led the organization since 2019, taking over as CEO from founder DeHaan. He abruptly resigned in May 2020 without explanation but returned a month a month later, following the death of DeHaan at age 77.
“And after that happened, the board reached out and asked me to return,” Peterson told IBJ at the time. “And I gave it a lot of thought and spent some time talking with them back and forth. And ultimately I decided to come back.”
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I hope Bart does something interesting in his retirement, because he still has a lot to offer this community. Thanks, Bart, for your leadership in the city and at Christel House.