Meredith Benton

Meredith Benton, MPA, serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Masters in Public Administration Program at Lipscomb University and as the Chief Executive Officer of Communities In Schools of Tennessee. Previously, Meredith was the founding CEO of the Natrona Collective Health Trust, where emphasis was placed on trust-based philanthropy and racial equity. With extensive experience in grantmaking, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement, Meredith held leadership roles at The Healing Trust and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, managing significant grant portfolios and state-wide external affairs. Academic contributions include adjunct professorships at both Pepperdine University and Lipscomb University, focusing on nonprofit management and communications. Meredith holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and a Bachelor's degree in International Studies from Pepperdine University.