Jermaine Myrie

Chief Executive Officer

Jermaine Myrie joined MENTOR in April 2023 as the organization’s CEO. Jermaine is an innovative and mission-driven leader with 20+ years of leadership experience across the nonprofit, for-profit and education sectors.

Prior to joining MENTOR, Jermaine served as the chief external affairs officer for uAspire, a national nonprofit focused on college access and affordability, where he set the vision and strategy for organization-wide activities tied to revenue generation and brand building. Jermaine led a multi-faceted external affairs team in achieving consistent success and strategic growth in uAspire’s brand awareness, fundraising, business development, and partnership engagement.

A native New Yorker, Jermaine holds a bachelor’s degree in English, with a minor in Sociology from Morehouse College, as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching, with a focus on secondary education, from Simmons University. Jermaine started his career as an English teacher at the Glover Cleveland Middle School in Boston, MA where he began to live out his passion for and commitment to shaping the experiences of young people through his role as an educator and mentor. Jermaine later went on to hold several business development positions in the for-profit sector at companies such as Novartis, Xerox, Johnson Controls and Aetna Student Health.

Jermaine is also an active community builder and volunteer. He has volunteered for over 15 years at the Yawkey Boys and Girls Club of Boston, working with and mentoring over 120 young people each year as part of the Manny Wilson Educational and Basketball Program, and currently coaches youth baseball and basketball in his local community. He is a board member of the American Cancer Society-Eastern New England and currently serves as the Interim Board Chair for The Literacy Lab, a national nonprofit that provides students in communities experiencing racial and/or economic inequities-with evidence-based, culturally responsive literacy instruction as preparation for academic, professional, and personal success. Jermaine also spent ten years on the Boston Preparatory Charter School board with additional service on numerous other boards.

Jermaine currently resides in Massachusetts.

Beth Tallarico

Chief Financial & Administrative Officer

Beth Tallarico serves as the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for MENTOR. In this role, she develops and directs the financial management and policy strategy along with managing all aspects of human resources, compliance, information technology, and organizational infrastructure. Her experience in helping nonprofit organizations efficiently and expertly navigate economic conditions for over 20 years, has been critical in leading MENTOR’s efforts to yield greater cost controls, mitigate risks and improve financial outcomes. Prior to joining MENTOR, Tallarico spent more than 15 years at the organization’s Massachusetts-based Affiliate, Mass Mentoring Partnership (MMP). Throughout her tenure at MMP she served in many different positions in which she designed and implemented training and technical assistance services to support the youth mentoring opportunities, created and implemented an administrative process to award and manage state mentoring grants, and managed finance and operations for the organization. Tallarico’s leadership extends into the local community. She has volunteered as a Girl Scout troop leader for the past five years and is the past-president of the Hillside Elementary School Parent Teacher Council. Beth holds an Master of Business Administration degree from Boston College and a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from The University of Michigan. Tallarico lives in Needham, Massachusetts, with her husband and three daughters.

Tara Spann

Chief People, Culture, & Strategy Officer

Tara Spann is a highly accomplished and enterprising People, Strategy, Diversity & Inclusion Professional with more than 18 years of leadership experience in Inclusive Excellence, Cultural Transformation, Strategy Development and Execution, Process Improvement and Emerging D&I Practices in Higher Education.  In her most recent role, Ms. Spann served as the Head of Diversity & Inclusion for Eversource Energy. Some significant achievements in this role include leading strategy development and execution, cultivating the corporate culture by improving and increasing numerous D&I practices and metrics, developing a new scorecard engagement metric with executive leadership, creating the first-ever D&I annual report and leading Eversource Energy to the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion. Prior to this role, Ms. Spann was the Director, Global Economic Inclusion & Supplier Diversity for Merck & Co. Inc. Here she oversaw all diversity and economic inclusion efforts within the global supply chain while driving revenue, savings, working capital, and innovation for the company. She served as the internal and external spokesperson for global economic inclusion and supplier diversity and lead Merck to be the 1st purely pharmaceutical company in the Billion Dollar Roundtable.  In previous corporate Diversity & Inclusion leadership roles, Ms. Spann was the Associate Director & Executive Lead, Supplier Diversity for Bristol-Myers Squibb and Executive Director, Diversity Initiatives for Staples, Inc. She began her Engineering career as a Senior Electrical & Controls Engineer for Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation, and as an Electrical & Electronics Engineer for the Department of Defense (Navy Communications & Weapons Systems). She continued her career as an Intellectual Property Legal Consultant and Process Engineer for Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and Patent Prosecution Consultant & Computer Design Engineer for Benman, Collins & Sawyer in Silicon Valley.  Ms. Spann has worked for Harvard University as the Contract Manager, Government Compliance Officer and Minority Purchasing Coordinator where she accomplished maximum economic efficiencies through new, innovative sourcing and procurement processes. Additionally, she established numerous strategic alliances that resulted in decreased spend and streamlined business processes. Ms. Spann also served as Harvard University’s Senior Software Licensing Negotiator.  Ms. Spann earned a Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University. She has been featured in numerous publications, with featured articles, including: Color Magazine (Tara Spann: Embracing Her Power at Eversource, May 21, 2019); Women’s Enterprise Top 100 Leaders in Corporate Supplier Diversity (2017); Minority Business News (MBN) USA Champions of Supplier Diversity (2016); Diversity Plus Magazine Top 25 Women in Power Impacting Diversity (2015); Diversity MBA Magazine’s Top 100 Diverse Emerging Leaders (2009); and Global EXEC Women International Women of Influence Award Recipient (2009).  Furthermore, she has been the recipient of and responsible for a multitude of prestigious Professional and Diversity & Inclusion Awards, including: Top 100 Under 50 Executive and Emerging Leader Award (Diversity MBA Magazine); Bloomberg Gender Equality Index; American Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) Sustainability Award; Women’s Enterprise USA 100 Corporation of the Year; Diversity Inc. Top 50 for Diversity; and Center for Women in Enterprise Corporation of the Year. Ms. Spann has also served as a panelist, speaker, keynote speaker, and moderator during her numerous speaking engagements and public relations appearances.  Ms. Spann is committed to economic inclusion and social justice, having been a key leader on numerous boards, including: Diversity Alliance for Science (Co-Chair); Billion Dollar Roundtable Corporate Representative; Disability:IN Procurement Council; Diversity Information Resources Board; WEConnect International Corporate Advisory Board; Women’s Business Enterprise National Council Board of Directors (Chair, Sales & Marketing Committee); and WEConnect Canada Corporate Advisory Board.

Tim Wills

Chief Impact Officer

Tim will drive strategy, coordination, integration, and effectiveness of MENTOR’s teams focused in the areas of training and technical assistance; product design, development and ongoing usage; field research and evaluation; strategic partnerships and systems innovation; and Affiliate partnership, support, effectiveness, sustainability, and expansion.

A native of Ferguson, Mo., Tim holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. As a college student, he developed his passion for youth by covering human interest stories as on-air talent for his college television and radio stations which led to a 17-year career in youth development, including at the Boys & Girls Clubs in Chicago, the District of Columbia, and Harford County, Md. In 2016, because of his extensive experience in organizational transformation and increasing club membership, quality improvement, innovative programming and funding, Tim was named the CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama. In this role over the last six years, Tim led twelve year-round sites, three summer only programs, a 150-acre campground, and POINTE Academy, a school for detained and adjudicated youth.

He’s received several honors and awards, including Boys & Girls Clubs Professional of the Year for his leadership, Mobile Bay 40 Under 40, and Benjamin Mays Excellence in Mentoring Award. Tim is an active member of the Lion’s Club and a member of the board of directors for Voices for Alabama’s Children and Linking All So Others Succeed (LASOS) in Maryland. He’s completed executive-level training in leadership, non-profit management, and advanced philanthropy from Harvard Business School, Stanford University, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. For 12 years, Tim has been a single foster parent and has fostered over 20 children. He also has spent significant time teaching in VolunTourism trips to Haiti.

Sarah Jasinski

Chief of Staff

Sarah Jasinski serves as Chief of Staff at MENTOR. In this role, she works closely with the CEO as the liaison to the board of directors, and provides support in developing and organizing board committees and meetings. Jasinski is responsible for office management and supporting projects primarily focused on leveraging the time of the CEO and the Senior Leadership Team in order to increase organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Previously, Jasinski was the Senior Manager of Video and Scoreboard Operation for the Boston Red Sox. She served as a videographer, editor, technical director, director and producer for the Fenway Park video board. In 2011, she won a New England Emmy Award for the Historic/Cultural Feature/Segment on the Red Sox Lindos Suenos community service initiative, an initiative she still works on today. Jasinski is a graduate of Emerson College and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism. She resides in Belchertown, Massachusetts, with her husband.

Abbie Evans

VP of Government Relations & Strategic Partnerships

Abbie Evans is Vice President of Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships for MENTOR. In this role, she represents the organization before Congress and the Administration and works to build and strengthen the coalition of mentoring organizations advocating on behalf of youth mentoring in Washington, DC and beyond. Prior to her current position, Evans served as a federal lobbyist for the National Education Association (NEA) representing public educators and school personnel before Congress. While at the NEA, she led efforts to engage Republican legislators around supporting public education across the country. Evans also served as the lobbyist for the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and worked for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation where she managed the bi-annual Children’s Congress program. Before that, Evans worked on Capitol Hill for a Pennsylvania Representative serving on the House Education and Workforce Committees. Evans has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Pennsylvania State University with a focus on American History.

Delia Hagan

Senior Director of Program Operations

Delia Hagan is a licensed certified social worker serving as the Senior Director of Program Operations at MENTOR. In this role, Delia supports the development of the National Mentoring Resource Center, a comprehensive online resource hub for the mentoring field. Delia also manages national programmatic initiatives, including mentor trainings and supports for corporate partners, and training and technical assistance efforts for MENTOR’s national My Brother’s Keeper Success Mentors partnership. Delia began her career in mentoring at Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, where she managed a mentoring program for youth impacted by the incarceration of a parent, supported effective relationship-building for mentors and mentees, and provided case management to mentees’ families. With her team, she also designed and facilitated an innovative group mentoring curriculum promoting positive health outcomes for middle-school youth in under-resourced Brooklyn communities. Subsequently, Delia served as a social worker in clinical settings, providing counseling and case management to adults living with HIV/AIDS and young people in mental health crisis. Delia also has a background in grant-writing, program development, and group work. She earned her Master of Social Work degree at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, and her Bachelor degree in Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College.

Joellen Spacek

Senior Director of Affiliate Impact

Joellen Spacek is the Senior Director of Affiliate Impact for MENTOR, strengthening and expanding the presence of local Affiliates. For the past 20 years, Spacek spearheaded efforts to recruit adult mentors and engage community leaders around the issue of mentoring for children, youth, and families. Under her leadership in her former position as executive director of the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota, staff and volunteers recruited over 50,000 mentors and brought together mentoring organizations to grow the quality of mentoring for 190,000 young people in Minnesota. Spacek has 30 years of experience in resource and board development, training and consulting, communications, community collaborations, leadership, and program management. Spacek has volunteered as a mentor in a variety of programs in schools, community based organizations, and faith communities. She helped create a mentor program for high school women’s basketball, hockey, and volleyball programs to engage high school athletes in mentoring younger players. She has also served as a member of a variety of organizations including as Chair of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership’s Mentoring Affiliate Advisory Council, (MAAC). Spacek received a Bachelor of Arts degree in business communications and marketing from Creighton University, while on a Division I basketball scholarship. She received her Master in Public Affairs degree from the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute while on a Bush Leadership Fellowship. Spacek resides in Minnesota with her husband and two children.

Michael Garringer

Senior Director of Research & Evaluation

Michael Garringer serves as the Senior Director of Research and Evaluation for MENTOR, overseeing original research projects, as well as those related to the translation of mentoring research into program practice. Garringer has worked in the mentoring and education fields for over 17 years, primarily on training and technical assistance projects serving federally- or state-funded mentoring programs. He also leads data collection and evaluation projects in an effort to highlight the prevalence and impact of mentoring across the United States. His role also supports advocacy and policy efforts by identifying and synthesizing research to encourage public and private organizations to make more impactful investments in the youth mentoring field. Garringer has authored and edited many guidebooks and program tools to support youth mentoring in school and community settings, including the 4th edition of the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring, the Power of Relationships study on American’s mentoring experiences, and Examining Youth Mentoring Services Across America, the most ambitious survey of youth mentoring programs to date. Over his career, he has contributed to many leading research-to-practice events, such as the Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring and the annual conferences hosted by many of MENTOR’s Affiliates. Garringer is a proud alumnus of the University of Oregon. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, two children, and eleven fish.

Sandy Martins

Senior Director of IT & Operations

Sandy Martins serves as MENTOR’s Senior Director of Information Technology & Operations. Raised in Boston by strong women, she’s a proud first-generation Cape Verdean American who values hard work and perseverance. For Sandy, work reflects who she is: a leader, a collaborator, and a strategist. She’s spent the last 17 years helping companies and organizations implement and improve business processes by managing complex, technology-driven projects while supporting their mission and strategic vision. Sandy has diverse expertise in the technology sector, including network technology, health IT, and software application development. By strategically implementing project management and agile frameworks, Sandy evaluates business needs, delivers solutions that achieve results, and positively impacts the end user. Her passion for project management permeates her professional and personal life. A former member of Rhode Island’s non-profit project management organization, OSPMI (Ocean State Project Management Institute), Sandy was the Director of Administration before joining the Board as Vice President of Administration for three consecutive terms. There, she gained recognition for increasing membership retention and successfully executing chapter meetings and workshops that enabled members to upskill. Her mission-based focus and change management expertise will be put to good use as MENTOR continues to expand its impact on the community. As the Senior Director of IT & Operations, Sandy leads the organization with innovative solutions to efficiently and effectively manage operational processes and change. She guides the internal technology committee to assess and recommend organization-wide technology improvements while fostering collaboration, continuous improvement, and learning. Additionally, Sandy manages the organization’s roadmap of enterprise initiatives, ensuring a growth plan aligned with MENTOR’s mission, vision, and values. Sandy, a lifelong learner, holds a bachelor’s degree in computer graphics and New Media from Johnson & Wales University (Providence, RI) and a Master’s in Business Administration from Providence College. Sandy loves spending time with family and being outdoors, whether cycling or hiking. 

Alana Hill

Director of Institutional Giving

Alana Hill is the Director of Institutional Giving at MENTOR. In this role, she collaborates with the Development team to oversee institutional donor prospect identification and research, stewarding and relationship management, proposal development and grant writing and reporting. Previously, Alana served as the Director of Institutional Giving at Bottom Line, a national leader in college access and success support for first-generation students. While at Bottom Line, Alana developed the organization’s institutional engagement and stewardship strategy to increase foundation and corporate giving and retention. Formerly, as the Director of Development for College Bound Dorchester, she helped develop the fundraising plan and strategies to raise $15M over three years to support the launch and growth of the Boston Uncornered initiative. Alana began her nonprofit career serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA member at Literations, where she went on to spend several years as the Manager of Corporate & Foundation Relations. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History from Boston College. She resides in Asheville, NC with her husband and Weimaraner.

Brittany Heater

Director of Development

Brittany Heater is the Director of Development for MENTOR. In this role, she helps achieve MENTOR’S mission by overseeing the organization’s individual giving program, managing several institutional partnerships, and supporting Affiliate growth campaigns. Brittany holds a Master of Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Masters in Innovation and Organization of Culture and the Arts from the University of Bologna, Italy. Before joining MENTOR, Brittany was the Development Manager at Knoxville Habitat for Humanity. Her nonprofit career has spanned from musical theatre production companies to front-line social service organizations.

Caden Fabbi

Policy Director

Caden Fabbi is the Policy Director at MENTOR. In this role, he works to build strong relationships with members of Congress in order to advance policies and funding streams that ensure every kid has a trusting relationship with an adult in their life. Through his years of experience as a youth and student advocate, his efforts have led to the enactment of a student loan tax credit and medical amnesty law, advancement of a collective bargaining bill for university workers, and rejection of a ‘campus carry’ bill. Prior to joining MENTOR, Caden was the Manager of Policy and Advocacy for the National Association of School Psychologists, where he lobbied on issues related to school mental health and safety. Caden holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Maryland and a dual Bachelor’s in Political Science and International Affairs from the University of Nevada, Reno. He lives in Washington, DC with his cat, Tobi, and is originally from Las Vegas.

Desireé Robertson

Director of Training & Product Design

Desireé Robertson is the Director of Training and Product Design for MENTOR. In this role, she is responsible for driving and executing MENTOR’s vision for quality training development and product design including ensuring that our products, tools and trainings are developed with best practices in adult learning theory, and instructional and information design. She works with a team to research, develop and implement quality products, tools and trainings that includes work with the National Mentoring Resource Center and the Mentoring Connector. Prior to MENTOR, Desireé gained extensive experience in mentoring, program management and development, curriculum development, training and professional development by directing the local mentoring Affiliate in Memphis, Tennessee and with organizations such as Girls Incorporated of Memphis, Inc. In Memphis, she was a Sociology adjunct professor for over a decade at Southwest Tennessee Community College, Christian Brothers University and the University of Memphis. Nationally, Desireé has been a National Technical Assistance Provider for the National Mentoring Resource Center and also served as a member of MENTOR’s Mentoring Affiliate Advisory Council (MAAC). She holds a graduate degree in Sociology from the University of Memphis. Her research and areas of interest include critical mentoring and supporting college students in finding meaningful mentoring opportunities. Desireé relocated to Saint Petersburg, FL in July 2018 and resides with her daughter.

Heather Coyne

Director of Digital Marketing

Heather Coyne is the Director of Digital Marketing at MENTOR. In this role, she is responsible for digital content and email creation, management of MENTOR’s editorial calendar, and managing all social media accounts. She also works with corporate partners and Affiliates to implement impactful public awareness campaigns to further the mentoring field. Before joining MENTOR, Heather worked at a recruiting firm and the Cleveland Clinic in various marketing roles. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Boston College, and an Master of Arts in Global Interactions from Cleveland State University. She currently resides in the city of Boston.

Jen Bourgoin

Director of Affiliate Relations & Engagement

Jen Bourgoin is the Director of Affiliate Relations & Engagement at MENTOR. In this role, she serves as the lead strategist for engagement with MENTOR’s national Affiliate Network and creates systems and communications streams to support their professional development and continuous improvement. Jen has nearly a decade of experience within the mentoring field, including designing and implementing local, national, and global mentoring programs. Prior to MENTOR, Jen served as the Mentor Program Manager at The Clubhouse Network, where she managed a federal youth mentoring grant through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and oversaw implementation of The Clubhouse Network’s mentoring model at 130 Clubhouse locations worldwide. Jen started her career serving as an AmeriCorps member at Literations, where she facilitated a school-based mentoring program in South Boston and Dorchester, and later worked as a Program Manager at MENTOR from 2015-2018. Jen has a master’s in education focused in Instructional Design from University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a Bachelor’s in Political Science and German Studies from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts.

Jeronima Nix

Director of Workplace Mentoring

Jeronima Nix (name pronunciation here) is the Director of Workplace Mentoring at MENTOR. It was through her own mentor in college that she discovered how she could expand on equitable change and wrap-around support for youth as a career. During her graduate school experience, she learned about the role policies play in the systems she grew up in and around. This led her to enter the non-profit space with Breakthrough Providence (BTP). She was fortunate to meet many people who challenged her thinking and work and gained the invaluable experience of understanding how systems impact all areas of an organization. During her time at BTP she oversaw student recruitment and support, event planning, program implementation, fundraising and development, marketing and communications, operations, staff recruitment/hiring/training, partnership management, curriculum design, and recently launched their high school program. Through her latter work she centered career readiness while helping youth build their social capital—done in partnership with board trustee members, leadership council members, community stakeholders, and tapping into her own network.

In her current role, Jeronima supports organizations and employers in identifying their mentoring program model and scaffolding to success. The focus: to establish high quality mentoring experiences/resources that allow youth across the nation to enter major job markets and to support employers in enhancing relationship centered practices in the workplace. She understands there are many pipelines to youth success, and connecting them with employers who see, value, and support them is a pathway she’s excited to expand and innovate on. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Roger Williams University and a master’s degree in Higher Education & Student Affairs from the University of Connecticut. She continues this work as Chair of the Alumni of Color Network at Roger Williams University as she advocates for professional support and development for fellow alumni of color

Jessica Haggett Silverman

Affiliate Expansion Director

Jessica Haggett Silverman serves as the Affiliate Expansion Director for MENTOR. Her role oversees the Online Community and Learning Management System, as well as the support of MENTOR Affiliate growth in new markets. Jessica studied music and biology at Tufts University. She has studied invertebrate physiology, camped with inner-city students to promote leadership and ecological appreciation, directed a music theater camp, edited a scientific publication, and taught piano. She also leads the Bisexual Resource Center in Boston as a president of the board. She grew an appreciation for the power of mentoring when she served as the STEM & Corporate Programs director at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Massachusetts & MetroWest, and is excited to continue building strong communities through MENTOR’s mission.

Katherine Ozawa

Impact Project Management Director

Katherine Ozawa is the Impact Project Management Director at MENTOR. In this role, she leverages product development processes across the organization to translate research and best practices in the youth mentoring field into functional products such as implementation guides, toolkits, webinars, and online trainings.

She has a degree in Engineering from Swarthmore College. It was during college that she discovered her passion for empowering children to take agency in their learning experiences and helping them tap into their creative potential. Since then, she has worked in traditional classrooms, educational nonprofits, and, most recently, in science centers, working to connect learners of all ages to their innate problem-solving ability and empowering them to imagine, explore, and innovate.

Mel English

Director of National Mentoring Resource Center TA

Mel English (they/them) currently serves as a Director, NMRC Technical Assistance at MENTOR National. In this role, Mel provides overall project management for the National Mentoring Resource Center (NMRC) and are the lead on all NMRC training and technical assistance (TTA), including general compliance and oversight of 180+ TTA Providers across the nation. Likewise, they lead on tracking related deliverables, and compiles the annual and semi-annual reports for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Mel is a US Navy Veteran, and started at MENTOR in 2015 as an AmeriCorps VISTA.

Nicki Patnaude

Director of the National Quality Mentoring System

Nicki Patnaude serves as the Director of the National Quality Mentoring System for MENTOR. In this role, she brings extensive expertise in mentoring and non-profit best practices through the lens of continuous improvement and innovation having previously led such efforts with our local mentoring Affiliate in Minnesota. While at MENTOR Minnesota, Nicki led and supported programs through the NQMS process. She also served as a master trainer and coach in the process with our network of Affiliates, as she was an integral member of the working group that developed the tool. Nicki also has experience with advocacy, grant-writing, fundraising, event planning, marketing and communications, and project management having worked her way from a Public Policy Graduate Intern to the Director of Quality at MENTOR Minnesota. Prior to working within the MENTOR network, she spent over 10 years volunteering and working in the youth development field, specifically with youth aging out of long-term foster care. In 2012, Nicki earned a Master in Social Work degree with a focus in Community Organizing and Advocacy from the University of Minnesota.

Steph Wong

People, Experience & Culture Director

Steph Wong serves as the People, Experience and Culture Director whose role is to codify MENTOR’s culture and cultivate an environment where the national team can successfully contribute to closing the mentoring gap. Such a culture is inclusive, innovative, equitable, motivated, diverse, collaborative, and much more.

Prior to joining MENTOR, Steph’s early career was dedicated to supporting Philadelphia-based startup nonprofits through an HR capacity. After six years of executing HR operations, she has come to understand what it means to be intentional about organizational culture and why it should be at the top of any organization’s priorities.

Steph is a first-generation Asian-American born in Philadelphia, PA, where she graduated from Temple University with a BBA in Human Resource Management and received the SHRM-CP certification. She now lives in New York City.

Lissa Leonardo-Abreu

Senior Manager of Data Analytics & Strategy Execution

Lissa Leonardo serves as Senior Manager, Data Analytics and Strategy Execution at MENTOR where she uses her analytics and data management skills to support MENTOR’s various departments through data informed decision making and tracking of strategy metrics. Before joining MENTOR, Lissa worked at the Better Business Bureau where she found her love for data and statistical analysis. Lissa was born in the Dominican Republic, raised in New York City, and now resides in Glastonbury Connecticut. She graduated from Boricua College in Manhattan with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on Ethical Leadership and Decision Making. In her spare time, Lissa volunteers as a foster mom for her local dog rescue.

Alissa Talbert

Affiliate Data & Engagement Manager

Alissa Talbert is serving as the Affiliate Data & Engagement Manager at MENTOR. Alissa is from Salisbury, MD and graduated Summa Cum Laude with Thomas E. Bellevance Honors from Salisbury University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics. During her time at Salisbury, Alissa was a member of the Division III Women’s Lacrosse team and served on several committees associated with collegiate athletics. Directly following graduation, she stayed on as a member of the team as a Volunteer Assistant Coach while working as a server in a local restaurant. Alissa is excited to explore the non-profit sphere while combining her passions of data analysis and community outreach at MENTOR.

Caroline Holland

Storytelling Manager

Caroline Holland is the Storytelling Manager at MENTOR. In this role, she works with corporate partners, Affiliates, and staff throughout the organization to source, report, and write pieces that demonstrate MENTOR’s impact to external audiences and elevate the importance of mentoring. She also manages MENTOR’s storytelling repository and collaborates with the digital marketing team to increase reach and engagement across channels.

 

Caroline is a Boston native who holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Colby College. Prior to joining MENTOR, she worked in communications and development for nonprofit organizations and foundations in the Boston area. She currently serves the Membership Cultivation Chair for the Young Professionals Leadership Committee of the Women’s Lunch Place, a daytime women’s shelter in Boston, and as a member of Morgan Memorial Goodwill’s Young Professionals Committee. She lives in Dedham, MA, with her fiancé and their pets.

Devon Austrie

Finance & Administration Manager

Devon Austrie is a talented artist who loves music, poetry, visual art, performance, and satiates for more. For well over 25 years, Devon has been an artist, having first picked up the sticks of his main instrument, the drums, since he was 2 years old! To put it in perspective in November of 2024, it will be 30 years of him playing the drums! He grew up in a musical family loving all things Jazz, Gospel, Soul, R&B, Afro-Caribbean, Rock, you name it! He had spent most of his childhood and early adulthood playing the drums in church before earning his B.A. in Economics at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, having been inducted into the National Honor Society of Economics (Omicron Delta Epsilon). After graduating cum laude in 2016, he was inspired to really chase his dreams of Music, finally mustering the will and resources to buy himself his first drum set in the Summer of 2018. With the bevy of accolades he has to be proud of, one of his biggest moments for him as an artist came recently when he started his own band in March 2022: The Modular Troupe. Currently today he is in several bands including wedding bands Speechless Music, winner of the WeddingWire Couples Choice Awards’ Performance of the Year award every year since 2017, as well Silver Arrow winner of many awards from The Knot, WeddingWire, and The Bash amongst many others. He has called it a blessing to be called upon to travel around the country and playing for projects, artists, and performances. locally you can find him performing in restaurants, festivals, private events, and programming around the city with his own band, as well as The Circle of Fifths, hardcore band Move, and the bands of his contemporaries.

Devon serves as MENTOR National’s Manager of Finance & Administration. With his direct teammates John Lapsley, Director of Finance, and Beth Tallarico, Chief Financial & Administrative Officer, they form the three-headed tandem that is the MENTOR National Finance Team, a sub-team of MENTOR National’s Operations Team. He assists the Director of Finance in preparing the organization’s annual budget, monthly financial reports, and forecasting. He manages the organization’s contracts and MOUs for external vendors, is the primary point of contact regarding Accounts Payable, helps lead the registration process for the National Mentoring Summit, and is the Office Administrator to the Boston Office headquarters, to name a few things. He has worn many hats at the organization, which has allowed for him to utilize his skillset in co-creating with the various departments at MENTOR National and assist in bolstering its vision and mission. Having previously been a mentor at the TRIO Upward Bound Math & Science Program during his time as an undergraduate student, MENTOR National has been perfect environment in melding a few of his major worlds together. His identity as an artist, his experience as a mentor with youth, and his acumen for Finance have presented opportunities for him to help change the world.

When not doing music or working at MENTOR National, Devon loves to enrich himself in knowledge as he believes that you can learn from anything and anyone. He loves to travel, be in nature, hang with loved ones, play videogames, cook, and continuously explore the full depth of his being, in that he can be truly himself around and with others.

Gabriela Castillo

Individual Donor Relations Manager

Gabriela serves as the Individual Donor Relations Manager at MENTOR. In this role, she provides internal support with all major gifts and donations, data and trend analysis, event planning, and provides fundraising support to MENTOR’S Affiliate Network.  

Prior to MENTOR, Gabriela studied Government and International Relations at Harvard University, and trained as a professional ballet dancer in NYC and Boston for over 10 years.  

She is thrilled to be a part of the MENTOR team and is eager to help advance the mentoring movement!  

Hayley St. Germain

Digital Marketing & Design Manager

Hayley St. Germain serves as the Digital Marketing and Design Manager at MENTOR. In this roll she assists the Marketing and Communications team with graphic design, website design, email design, and branding. A native of central Massachusetts, Hayley holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from DePaul University in Chicago. Since graduating in 2017, she has lived in Germany working as an Au Pair and worked in two non-profits on the island of Nantucket before joining MENTOR.  She enjoys using her creative abilities to promote youth mentoring. She currently resides in Somerville.

Jake Sullivan

Training Delivery Manager

Jake Sullivan (he/they) is the Training Delivery Manager with the MENTOR team. In this role, he is responsible for planning, curating, and delivering training and professional development content for mentoring practitioners, MENTOR Affiliates and other audiences to execute MENTOR’s national training strategy.

Most recently before MENTOR, Jake worked with the National office of Reach Out and Read, an early childhood literacy nonprofit, also on the programs team. Prior to that, he served in various roles in both direct-service youth work, and in leadership development and training. In 2019, he helped to co-found an LGBTQ+ youth-adult virtual mentoring program, which is how he first intersected with MENTOR, through collaborating with the Mass Mentoring Partnership. He has since volunteered as Program Manager with GSA Link, supporting trusting, affirming, and mutually-positive connections between LGBTQ+ youth and LGBTQ+ adults.

Jake grew up in Massachusetts, and now lives in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from Clark University in 2020 with a degree in Psychology and Community, Youth, Education Studies. With passions in youth advocacy, and training and curriculum development, Jake seeks to find innovative and accessible ways to co-create systems of sharing knowledge while building compassionate and equitable community.

In his free time, Jake loves to read, hike, collage, spend time with friends, watch reality TV, and hangout with his cat Beetlejuice.

Jon Churchill

Grants Manager

Prior to assuming his role as MENTOR’s Grants Manager, Jon Churchill enjoyed a distinguished career in education and nonprofit spaces. With The National Humanities Alliance, he co-conceptualized and co-produced the podcast “What Are You Going to Do With That?,” which advocates for the transferrable value of humanistic inquiry across disciplinary boundaries. As an educator, he taught music history and theory at Duke University, The Pennsylvania State University, and several public, independent, and nonprofit institutions.

Jon has also maintained an active performance career as an orchestral percussionist, chamber musician, and fixture in and around New York City’s musical theatre scene. As a member of the Invicta Marimba Duo, Norwalk Symphony, and New Haven Symphony, he has participated in outreach initiatives and delivered clinics throughout New England.

Jon holds the B.S. Music Education from Western Connecticut State University and M.A. Musicology from The Pennsylvania State University. Additional graduate work includes the A.M. Musicology and Ph.D. Musicology from Duke University. While a multiple fellow at Duke, Jon’s work appeared in domestic and international publications, serving specialist and general audiences alike.

Karina Nova

Impact Project Implementation Manager

Karina Nova is the Impact Project Implementation Manager at MENTOR. In her role she supports the works of the National Mentoring Resource Center and works with the Research Board to create content for NMRC Blog and resource profiles. She assists the Program team with coordinating webinar logistics, drafting consultant contracts, responding to general inquiries about MENTOR’s work and additional administrative tasks. Karina was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Boston University, where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. Karina is an alumna to many youth mentoring/college prep programs such as TRIO’s Upward Bound Suffolk University and Success Boston. She has volunteered as a mentor with organizations such as School on Wheels, Boston Partners in Education and Upward Bound Suffolk University as the instructor’s assistant for the youth group’s restorative justice circle. Through her schooling, mentoring, and community she has developed her passion for working toward closing the gap of inequity she sees in the world around her.

Khatidja Karimi

Events Manager

Khatidja Karimi serves as Events Manager for MENTOR. She is responsible for planning and executing events for MENTOR National and is part of the Marketing and Communications team. Khatidja has experience in working with young professionals and matching them with career coaches while volunteering at the Ismaili Professional Network (IPN). She has planned the IPN Summit that resulted in over 4,000 attendees, and currently works with their DEI team to ensure all events are inclusive to all attendees. Khatidja is currently working on ensuring attendees who are deaf and hard of hearing get the resources they need in order to enjoy all of the events put on by IPN. Prior to working at MENTOR, Khatidja worked at an incubator in Hong Kong and served as a translator from English to Mandarin to help attendees of the incubator’s events understand and comprehend the information provided, leading to an inclusive event experience. Khatidja is a graduate of Barnard College at Columbia University and holds a degree in International Relations. Khatidja was born in Houston, moved to Chicago, and now considers Cambridge her home. She continues to pursue her passion for DEI work and playing the piano, and is excited to be part of the MENTOR family! 

Rachel Bennett

Research Manager

Rachel Bennett is the Research Manager at MENTOR. In this role, she supports MENTOR’s original research-related projects, which include both original research studies and the translation of mentoring research for use by mentoring practitioners and programs.  Rachel collaborates with researchers and evaluators to build tools and resources to help mentoring professionals make use of evidence-based findings and do the critical work of supporting positive youth outcomes.

Rachel holds a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Denver and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.  Prior to joining MENTOR, Rachel worked on a variety of research and evaluation projects including a randomized controlled trial examining the efficacy of a mentoring intervention for youth who have experienced trauma, and most recently, supported middle and high schools throughout the U.S. to implement a substance-use and violence prevention program.  When she is not working, Rachel can be found serving as a volunteer mentor, on long walks with her dog, Banjo, or learning everything she can about sustainable gardening.  She lives in Lafayette, Colorado with her spouse and their cat and dog.

ShaVonte’ Mills

Corporate Partnerships Program Manager

ShaVonte’ is the Program Manager, Corporate Partnerships at MENTOR. In this role, she evaluates programmatic trainings and resources to ensure efficiency and quality support for Affiliates and corporate clients. ShaVonte’ works alongside the Systems Innovation team in the effort to ensure safe and effective mentoring spaces for mentors and youth in the workplace. She also assists the team in providing technical assistance to companies, collaborating on reporting outcomes, and enhancing our products.

ShaVonte’ is from rural eastern North Carolina. She graduated magna cum laude from UNC Chapel Hill, and later earned her PhD in History and African American and Diaspora Studies from Pennsylvania State University.  Her educational pursuits allowed her to explore and research community schools in Boston, MA, Oberlin, OH, Sedalia, NC, and Dakar, Senegal.

ShaVonte’ comes to MENTOR having developed curriculum, served as an instructor, and published work on the education networks of the 19th century with a focus on Black communities. ShaVonte’ was most recently the Employment Placement Manager at Year Up where she educated and supported young people in navigating the corporate field while working with local staffing firms to identity employment opportunities. ShaVonte’ will continue to promote relationship-centered mentoring and support youth retention in the workplace.

Shylana Roman

IT Program Manager

Shylana joined MENTOR to ameliorate the Mentoring Connector database so all new and existing programs have an easier time utilizing it to connect more mentors with youth across the country. She’s excited to help grow the Mentoring Connector with quality programs that are easily accessible. Shylana has a Bachelor of Arts in Urban & Environmental Public Policy and enjoys gardening, dancing, and comedy.

Yogita Tahilram

Manager of Digital Content & Engagement

Yogita is the Manager of Digital Content and Engagement with the MENTOR team, and her passion for communications, people, and working for social change led her to this role.

She spent her life growing up between South Africa and India, learning French and Spanish, and pursuing her love for content creation and marketing. She has worked in different fields such as education, insurance, public relations, and youth-led non-profits.

Yogita holds a master’s degree in management from Duke University and is excited to bolster the mentorship movement with her varied skillset. She hopes to engage with, and build inclusive communities with her work.

In her free time, Yogita loves to read, doodle, and spend time outdoors.

Emily DeFiore

Program Associate

Emily currently works as a Program Associate on the Project Management team at MENTOR, providing administrative support and implementing processes to ensure efficiency for the team.

She was born and raised in Manhattan and graduated from Skidmore College cum laude with a degree in English Literature. At Skidmore, she was on the editorial staff of the literary magazine and volunteered at local schools to help advocate for child literacy. After college, she spent some time in Southeast Asia, traveling and volunteering at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand. She then moved to Austin, Texas where she spent the last couple of years working in tech within the Recruiting/People Operations space. She now calls Philadelphia her home, where she enjoys yoga, reading, cooking, exploring the local food scene, and watching entirely too much TV.

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  • MENTOR National and Affiliates will use the information you provide to better inform future publications and keep you up to date with advancements in the mentoring field. For more information, check out our privacy policy.