A native Abilenian, Mindy graduated from Abilene High School in 1984. After earning a Bachelor's degree in Biology in 1988 from Hardin-Simmons University, she moved to College Station, and in the Spring of 1990, received a Master of Education degree, with an emphasis in Health, from Texas A&M University. While at Texas A&M, Mindy served as both an undergraduate biology tutor for the University's athletic department, and as an intern at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple.

After graduate school, Mindy worked in the Environmental Health Section at the Region V Headquarters of the Texas Department of Health in Arlington, before returning to the Key City in 1992 to accept a position at Abilene Regional Medical Center. During her four years at ARMC, most of which was spent as the Assistant Director of Education, Mindy helped administer a hospital-wide education program that included staff development and patient and community education services. In 1996, she accepted a new position with the City of Abilene as the Training & Employee Development Manager, the position that helped her fine-tune the classroom teaching and training skills that she currently utilizes as JPI's Academic Services Coordinator.

Mindy is married to fellow motorcycle "enthusiast" Mike Bannister, a long-time Abilene resident and senior officer with the First National Bank of Baird. They are the proud parents of a son, Thomas Miller.