Proudly Announcing The 2021 Excellence in Mentoring Award Winners
MENTOR is proud to announce this year’s recipients of the Excellence in Mentoring Awards! These awards are presented annually to individuals and organizations that have made tremendous contributions to young people and the mentoring field. The Excellence in Mentoring Awards Celebration will be held virtually on January 27 and will kick off the eleventh-annual virtual National Mentoring Summit. The awards celebration is open for all to attend.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Given to an individual who has dedicated their life’s work to supporting youth through mentoring programs
2021 Honoree: Melody Rodriguez, Proyecto MoLe Director, Leadership Foundations
Melody Rodriguez is the founder and director of Proyecto MoLE, a Latino student support program under the Leadership Foundations that exist to inspire, prepare and mobilize Latino youth and young adults as leaders in their communities since 2007. She has spent the last 27 years supporting youth in Tacoma to realize their potential and see that they are a vital part of the community. Her belief in mentoring, keeping it real, having high expectations and building lasting relationships provide the foundation of her work. In addition to her work with Proyecto MoLE, Melody has worked with College Success Foundation serving as the College Preparatory Advisor for the Achievers program at Mount Tahoma High School since 2012 and serves as one of CSF’s post-secondary access strategists for Beyond the Diploma 2021. Melody has an undergraduate degree in Sociology from Central Washington University and a Masters of Public Administration from Evergreen State College.
“I am deeply honored to receive this award in recognition for my commitment to mentoring the youth in my community. I believe in order to achieve the change we want to see in the world around us, we must invest in our young people. Often times young people need help seeing the gifts, opportunities and possibilities they have before them, which is why mentoring is so important.”
CORPORATE YOUTH LEADERSHIP
Given to a young person who participates or recently participated in a corporate mentoring program or initiative and showed great leadership potential
2021 Honoree: Jaya Dayal, Bank of America Student Leaders, City Year D.C.
Jaya Dayal grew up in Orlando, Florida, and graduated from Lake Highland Preparatory School in 2020. In her sophomore year, she began volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida (BGCCF) with a friend who was starting an after-school tutoring program at a nearby branch. After being recommended to apply to the program by a staff member working with the Bank of America (BofA) Student Leaders Program, Jaya applied for the program. She was selected as a leader for the Orlando market in 2020 and worked with the market’s three other leaders to create content for BGCCF’s Cyber-Clubhouse. Jaya’s work with BGCCF sparked her interest in the issues of youth in under resourced communities, leading her to take a gap year before starting her public health degree at UNC Chapel Hill to work with City Year, an AmeriCorps program that provides mentorship and classroom assistance in underprivileged schools. Jaya’s passion for public health and youth extends to her other community service commitments, specifically with Thirst Project, a youth-focused non-profit working to end inaccessibility to clean water. Jaya led a Thirst Project-affiliated club in high school and has continued working with the nonprofit group throughout her gap year.
“I am so honored to be receiving this award from an organization that I admire for all that they taught me about mentorship. I cannot thank the Bank of America Student Leaders Program enough for the introduction to MENTOR and for the nomination.”
PUBLIC ELEVATION
Given to an individual or organization who uses their influence and public platform to support mentoring opportunities for youth
2021 Honoree: Milwaukee Bucks
As a major tentpole in the Wisconsin community, the Milwaukee Bucks are dedicated to using their platform to improve outcomes for underserved populations throughout the state. Since 2016, the Milwaukee Bucks Foundation has donated more than $2 million dollars in grants to youth-serving organizations across the state, including over $500,000 to support existing mentoring programs. In 2019, the Bucks, in partnership with Milwaukee Public Schools and the City of Milwaukee, launched MENTOR Greater Milwaukee – a non-profit focused on increasing the number of quality mentoring relationships while supporting the network of mentoring programs that exist. Over the years, current and former Bucks players have partnered with local organizations to promote the importance to mentoring and support mentors/mentees in various initiatives. Milwaukee Bucks staff have also served as mentors through in-office youth mentoring programs and have participated in countless mentoring sessions with youth throughout the community.
“This award is a reflection of the organization’s commitment to youth throughout the state of Wisconsin and the belief that a strong mentorship network can foster a safe and empowered community. We hope the work of our players and staff will inspire individuals and companies alike to answer the call to support young people in their respective communities.”
IMPACTFUL PHILANTHROPY
Given to a foundation, company, individual philanthropist or board member who has made a significant impact on young people through investment of time and funds in mentoring programs, MENTOR Affiliates and/or mentoring initiatives
2021 Honoree: New York Life Foundation
Inspired by New York Life’s tradition of service and humanity, the New York Life Foundation has, since its founding in 1979, provided nearly $360 million in charitable contributions to national and local nonprofit organizations. The Foundation supports programs that benefit young people, particularly in the areas of educational enhancement and childhood bereavement. The Foundation also encourages and facilitates the community involvement of employees and agents of New York Life through its Volunteers for Good program and Grief-Sensitive Schools Initiative. To learn more, please visit www.newyorklifefoundation.org.
“The New York Life Foundation is honored to receive MENTOR’s Impactful Philanthropy Award. Transitions, particularly for youth in middle school, are critical moments in their growth and development. By supporting afterschool programs, like Higher Achievement, that provide caring and committed mentors we are fulfilling one of our most important roles in society, which is to ensure that all children and youth can realize their full potential.”
PUBLIC SERVICE – STATE & LOCAL
Given to an elected official who has shaped or advanced policy, programs or campaigns to support youth and mentoring initiatives.
2021 Honoree: Charlene Russell-Tucker, Deputy Commissioner, CT State Department of Education
Charlene Russell-Tucker is the Deputy Commissioner of Education for the Connecticut State Department of Education, a role in which she oversees educational supports and wellness priorities. Prior to her appointment as Deputy Commissioner in November 2019, she served as Chief Operating Officer and Division Chief for the Department’s Office of Student Supports and Organizational Effectiveness. She also served as Associate Commissioner of Education and Bureau Chief within the Department overseeing a portfolio of programs and services that included student health, nutrition and safety, adult education, special education, magnet and charter schools. She is a performance-driven and visionary education leader with over 20 years’ experience in successfully leveraging the inter-connectedness of the social, emotional, physical and mental health of students and their families as foundations for positive school and life outcomes. She passionately supports family and community engagement in education and leads school attendance and school discipline initiatives with intensive focus on equity and diversity. In 2015, Ms. Russell-Tucker was named to the inaugural class of 100 Women of Color in Connecticut. In 2018, she was welcomed to the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading’s Council of Champions. On a personal note, Ms.Russell-Tucker believes in finding and fulfilling one’s life’s purpose.
“As an education leader who has been working tirelessly to improve student attendance, engagement, and achievement, and promoting the role of mentoring as a key intervention strategy, I am grateful to be a recipient of this award. I am especially honored to receive it from MENTOR, as we share a common personal and professional goal of equity and opportunity for all children.”
PUBLIC SERVICE – FEDERAL
Given to an elected official who has shaped or advanced policy, programs or campaigns to support youth and mentoring initiatives.
2021 Honoree: Senator Cory Booker
Senator Cory Booker received his undergraduate and master’s degree from Stanford University. He was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and went on to study at the University of Oxford and Yale Law School. He served as mayor of Newark, New Jersey from 2006 until 2013. During his tenure, the city experienced massive economic growth. In addition, under his leadership, overall crime declined, affordable housing and green spaces massively expanded, city services were made more efficient, and educational opportunities increased. He also supported the development of MENTOR Newark (formerly the Newark Mentoring Movement) in 2012. He partnered with MENTOR Newark to increase the number of mentors paired with young people in the city. In 2013, he was elected to the United States Senate, where he has brought an innovative and consensus-building approach to tackling some of the most difficult problems facing New Jersey and our country. He has emerged as a national leader in the effort to fix our broken criminal justice system and end mass incarceration, helping craft the most sweeping set of criminal justice reforms in a generation, the First Step Act, which became law in 2018. Senator Booker sits on the Judiciary Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee, and the Small Business Committee.
“Mentorship is one of the most powerful tools we all have to have a positive impact on a young person’s life. I celebrate the work of MENTOR National and MENTOR Newark in connecting young people with opportunity and community and am honored to have been selected as this year’s Excellence in Mentoring Honoree in public service.”
MENTOR is also pleased to recognize the following outstanding finalists across Excellence in Mentoring Categories:
FINALISTS: LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Mike O’Brien, CEO, iMentor
Mike O’Brien is the CEO of iMentor. Serving in this role for the last 13 years, Mike led the organization’s progression from a small New York City start up to a premier national non-profit organization generating field-leading outcomes for young people. During his tenure at iMentor, the organization created 36,000 mentoring relationships, increasing annual enrollment from 500 to 10,000 mentor-mentee pairs, and expanded from New York City to 22 communities across the country. Mike led the design of new innovations in mentoring that make iMentor’s relationships more consistently effective against a discrete set of outcomes. And he designed iMentor’s strategy to focus on post-secondary success, providing a mentor for every student in its partner schools, leveraging the community to reimagine a more personalized and proactive counseling function in those schools, and significantly increasing college enrollment, persistence and completion rates for first-generation college students.
Mike is a Board Member of Blue Engine, a Board Member Emeritus of BUILD, an Ashoka fellow, a Council Member at NationSwell, and a Crain’s New York 40 Under 40 recipient.
Charles Robinson, Dean of Students, Truesdell E.S., DC Public Schools
Mr. Charles Robinson is a native Washingtonian who has served his community through education for over three decades. He attended Bowie State College where he earned a Bachelor of Social Work degree and the University of the District of Columbia where he earned a Masters’ degree in Education Administration. He is the recipient of the Archdiocese of Washington’s Outstanding Young Black Achievement Award and is a DC Public Schools Rubenstein Award Recipient for his outstanding service to his school community.
Mr. Robinson currently serves students at Truesdell Elementary school in Washington, DC as their Dean of Students. Also, affectionately known as “Coach Robinson” he has worked to expand the reach of DC Scores to over 3,400 students in the Truesdell school community. The Truesdell DC Scores Team won several championship awards in poetry and on the field. Mr. Robinson has mentored students, teachers, and former students who went on to pursue professional athletic careers. He believes that mentoring feeds the pulse of every child’s “heartbeat” and shapes the bodies and minds of young people. Mr. Robinson resides in the state of Maryland with wife Gwen and three sons Charles, Ben, and Dominique.
Nina Zolt, Co-founder and Chief Content Officer, Cricket Media
Nina Zolt’s diverse career has spanned more than 30 years as a media executive, digital product designer, entertainment lawyer, and social entrepreneur working at the intersection of education, mentoring, and technology. She is currently co-founder and Chief Content Officer of Cricket Media, a global K-12 learning company that provides award-winning content and collaborative learning opportunities.
Prior to co-founding Cricket Media, Zolt founded and served as Chief Learning Officer of In2Books, a 501(c)(3) organization where she led development of a research-tested 21st century skills eMentoring program that has received numerous awards, including the CODIE Award for Best Reading/English Instructional Solution.
Zolt served as a member of the Washington D.C. Advisory Board of Directors for Teach for America, the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and the Advisory Board of the International Literacy Association.
FINALISTS: CORPORATE YOUTH LEADERSHIP
Kevin Kim, BBBS Mentor, Edwards Lifesciences Cohort
Kevin Kim found out about BBBS while working in his current role as a System R&D engineer at Edwards Lifesciences. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from USC and has loved working on the cutting edge of cardiac monitoring technology to help as many people as he can – one patient at a time. In his free time, Kevin enjoys weightlifting, discussing films, and playing ice hockey. When his Little’s previous Big had to unexpectedly leave the program midway, Kevin jumped at the chance of meeting his Little, Gautam. Despite matching a few months after the rest of their peers, Kevin and Gautam instantly hit it off with their similar style of humor when they met in February 2019. Since then, the two have forged both a close mentoring partnership and a strong friendship. He has proceeded to continue mentoring his Little through his colleges experience as Gautam attends CSUF studying International Business. Despite the unusual quarantine circumstance, they find creative ways to stay in contact, from sending each other funny Instagram posts, to complaining about Gautam’s biology courses over Facetime. He always looks forward to their upcoming meetings and hopes to share his knowledge and experiences with Gautam for as long as he can.
Shemar Clarke, Lead Recruiter, JPMorgan Chase’s The Fellowship Initiative
Shemar Clarke is a Senior at Baruch College and works at JPMorgan Chase’s The Fellowship Initiative (TFI) as the Lead Recruiter and Lead Assistant. As an alumnus of the program, he aims to help young men overcome obstacles and realize their potential. Shemar believes that giving back to those who have helped you is one of the best things a person can do. He graduated High School in 2017 and won the ‘Excellence in Athletics Lifetime Achievement Award’ and was also selected as the ‘Distinguished Scholar & Graduation Class Speaker’. Shemar is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Journalism as he hopes to enter the field of marketing once he graduates.
FINALISTS: IMPACTFUL PHILANTHROPY
Zenith Insurance Company
Zenith is the premier specialist in workers’ compensation nationally, and a leader in property and casualty insurance for the California agriculture industry. Zenith combines depth of expertise with a forward-thinking approach to achieve the highest level of service and outcomes for our clients. They believe insurance is a long-term investment in your employees and the success of your business. Great businesses become even better when they invest in the best. With every company they protect, they work to help maximize their return on insurance. Zenith’s people-first approach sets them apart. By getting to know you and your unique operation, they’re able to guide you toward generating more value in the long run, so you can keep your business – and your employees – safe and productive. Zenith’s commitment to fostering strong relationships extends beyond their valued independent agents and brokers. Zenith employees’ passion for regional impact overflows supporting community causes via donations, mentorship, and support.
Margaret Covell, President of the Board of Directors, Partners for Youth with Disabilities
Margaret Covell has partnered with leadership teams across a wide range of for-profit and non-profit organizations to help them develop strategies, build capabilities, and navigate periods of change. She spent 15 years at Monitor Company, a global strategy consulting firm, and a decade at THL Partners, a private equity firm headquartered in Boston, MA. She is currently a leader of Pinnacle Search Partners, a global executive search firm. Margaret is passionate about the mission of Partners for Youth with Disabilities – to empower youth with disabilities and to create transformative experiences for the youth and their families. She has been involved with PYD since volunteering in the 1990s, when she helped pioneer the Young Entrepreneurs Program. She joined PYD’s Board in 2009 and currently serves as the Board President. She also is an Executive Fellow for the Center for Higher Ambition Leadership, a non-profit organization that brings together purpose-driven leaders from across the private, public, and government sectors, providing them with resources, tools, and educational programs.