Janae Hinson

Janae Hinson joined The Wallace Foundation in 2025. As a communications officer for the foundation’s Education Leadership initiatives, she is responsible for sharing knowledge and evidence-based insights with key audiences to help shape more positive outcomes for school leaders, teachers, and students across the country. 

Hinson has more than a decade’s experience in nonprofit, philanthropic, and public sector communications and has dedicated her career to advancing policies and initiatives focused on educational equity, social justice, and economic mobility. Before joining Wallace, she was a vice president at GMMB, where she helped mission-driven clients illuminate important issues, inspire action, and spark change through strategic communications. She also served as a founding member of GMMB’s Catalyst, a multicultural group focused on improving culturally competent outreach and engagement with communities of color. 

Before GMMB, Hinson supported communications efforts aimed at education practitioners, policymakers, thought leaders, and journalists to elevate the positioning of education-related nonprofits, including City Year and the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program. She also worked with the chancellor of D.C. Public Schools, leading media relations and strategic initiatives to engage students, families, educators, and local communities. 

Hinson earned a Master of Public Administration degree at American University and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She enjoys traveling the world to try new foods and loves to be inspired by recipe ideas to test out in her home kitchen.