Branching Minds Appoints Mitch Benson as President to Accelerate Growth and Scale Impact

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, January 26, 2026—Branching Minds, a leading K–12 education technology company that helps districts identify, support, and accelerate student success, today announced the appointment of Mitch Benson as President.

Benson brings more than two decades of experience in education technology, vertical SaaS, and large-scale platform growth. He previously spent over a decade at Instructure, where he helped grow the company from under $50 million to nearly $700 million in annual recurring revenue, spanning two private equity transactions, two IPO’s, and a major expansion from a single-product offering to a multi-product education platform.

“Mitch is a rare leader who combines deep K–12 expertise, product and platform experience, and a strong commitment to educational impact,” said Maya Gat, Co-Founder and CEO of Branching Minds. “He understands how to scale responsibly while keeping mission, customers, and culture at the center. We’re thrilled to welcome him to Branching Minds.”

At Instructure, Benson served as Chief Product Officer and later Chief Strategy Officer, leading the development of Canvas - the #1 learning management system in education - and more than $1 billion in strategic acquisitions, including Parchment and Learn Platform. 

Prior to Instructure, Benson held senior leadership roles at Pearson and Microsoft, overseeing global education technology teams and large-scale digital transformation initiatives. Earlier in his career, he served in public education and statewide technology leadership in Washington, including managing technology systems supporting schools statewide.

“Branching Minds is tackling one of the most important challenges in education - ensuring every student gets the right support at the right time,” said Mitch Benson. “The company has built an exceptional product, a strong customer community, and a mission-driven culture. I’m excited to join the team and help expand their impact for schools, educators, parents, and students.”

Branching Minds platform helps districts organize student data, coordinate interventions, and drive measurable academic and behavioral outcomes through a structured MTSS framework. The company partners with school systems across the United States to improve equity, student achievement, and operational efficiency.

“With growing demand from districts nationwide, this is an important moment for our company,” said David Magier, Co-Founder of Branching Minds. “Mitch’s experience building scalable, customer-centered education platforms will help us accelerate innovation while staying deeply grounded in our mission.”

About Branching Minds

Branching Minds partners with K–12 schools and districts to help educators streamline differentiated instruction and personalize learning through a comprehensive MTSS solution. By bringing academics, behavior, attendance, social-emotional learning, and safety into one unified system, Branching Minds helps teams act earlier, collaborate more effectively, and support every student holistically. Since 2013, the company has collaborated with nearly 300,000 educators in more than 500 districts across 38 states, improving outcomes for over 2 million students. Learn more at www.branchingminds.com.