Ben Lindquist

Ben Lindquist joined Spreading Hope Network in 2026 as its first-ever CEO, after spending the prior year helping the Network develop a business plan to guide its path through 2035. That year gave him an up-close view of SHN’s team and mission. The experience left him drawn to the Network’s wholehearted dependence on God, its sharp focus on serving low-income urban families, and the life-giving impact of the classical Christian education its schools provide. He brings 31 years of experience as an urban school operator, education entrepreneur, and venture philanthropist to the role.

Ben spent ten years as a charter school manager, starting public charter schools and serving high-poverty urban students, and another ten years as a grant-making program officer with the Charter School Growth Fund, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Kern Family Foundation. He went on to serve as President of the Colorado League of Charter Schools before co-founding Arcadia Education Group, where he spent five years alongside his partner, Erik Twist, helping charter, start-up, and independent schools scale, strengthen operations, and improve outcomes for students nationally.

In his role with Spreading Hope, Ben continues to draw on those lessons to help fuel the renewal and growth of classical Christian education in America’s cities.