Proudly Announcing The 2022 Excellence In Mentoring Award Recipients and Finalists
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Daryle Cobb – Franklin County Children Services
The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an individual who has dedicated their life’s work to supporting youth through mentoring.
This year’s award winner is Daryle Cobb. For three decades, Daryle has demonstrated profound dedication to supporting youth with opportunities and connections. Daryle’s career has been centered on ensuring the safety, permanency, and well-being of Franklin County Ohio’s most vulnerable youth as a caseworker, an emancipation worker, kinship care worker, and director of the Simba Mentoring program. Simba Mentoring is a mentoring program with culturally focused and enriching programming that matches Black boys involved with the child welfare system with Black male mentors. Daryle has also been a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio for three mentees over 25 years and is a former “Mentor of the Year” through the Central Ohio Mentoring Association. Even after these matches formally ended, Daryle’s mentees have continued to call on him for advice and support and to celebrate successes that were sometimes only possible because he taught them to believe in themselves. Even when he is “off the clock,” Daryle is on, talking with families and stakeholders at events, sometimes answering phone calls at all hours, and putting his heart into every interaction and every engagement. Once Daryle signs up with a youth, the rule is this: win or lose, succeed or fail, he will be there because he believes in who they are and that their mistakes will not define them. When other people scattered, Daryle showed up — and that is mentoring at its most powerful. Nominated by Elizabeth Crabtree, his colleague at Franklin County Children Services.
Finalists for the Lifetime Achievement Award
Mercedes Cintrón – Puerto Rico Youth at Risk, Inc.
Mercedes Cintrón, a 76 year old Puerto Rican, embraced mentoring as one of the most successful prevention strategies for high-risk and vulnerable students. She has dedicated the last 28 years of her careers (Psychology and Social Work) and her volunteer work, to promote and facilitate the use of ontological mentoring to prevent school dropout and antisocial behavior in teens. She has been witness to over 3,000 solid mentoring experiences. Both the youth and the volunteers that served them have continued to serve in their communities, many as mentors again. Mercedes founded Jóvenes de Puerto Rico en Riesgo, Inc. (PRYAR), pioneering in 1993 the use of formal mentoring in that Caribbean island. She was inspired and committed to establishing PRYAR after completing her term as Administrator of Puerto Rico’s Juvenile Correctional Institutions. There, she awakened to the painful reality that the ”system” wasn’t reaching the “at-risk youth”, on time and with evidence-based strategies like mentoring. Nominated by her friend, Karla Andreu.
Robin McHaelen – True Colors, Inc.
Robin has been active nationally in the LGBTQ+ movement since the 1990s, participating in professional convenings and efforts to improve social work practice, including mentoring. Robin is a nationally recognized thought leader and advocate for LGBTQQ+ youths. She was instrumental in the creation and publication of curricula, policies and interventions that have served as a model for other programs across the country. She has co-author multiple books and articles on LGBTQ+ issues, including the LGBTQ+ Supplement to The Elements of Effective Mentoring Practice™. With funding from the Department of Children and Families in 2005, she founded True Colors, Inc. a non-profit organization that implements education, advocacy, and support programming to ensure that LGBTQ+ youth of all backgrounds are safe, valued, and able to be their authentic selves. At the time of its creation, the True Colors statewide mentoring program was one of only two one of two mentoring programs in the country that exclusively served LGBTQ+ youths, matching them with mentors who have shared lived experience or allies with extensive training through True Colors. Under her 27-year tenure as Executive Director, the True Colors expanded to include one-to-one and group mentoring, social togethers, and community events like its flagship annual conference celebrating its inclusive community. Nominated by Jo Hawke of the Governor’s Prevention Partnership.
Nicole Steele – Diamond in the Rough Youth Development Program
Nicole’s commitment to mentoring began when she was a college student who fulfilled her desire to mentor and empower youth as a volunteer with the Junior Achievements program and later as a peer mentor on her college campus. She went on to continue her service through the co-creation of a community-based mentoring program in the mid 90’s called Sister II Sister which served a select group of girls at The East Side Carver Boys and Girls Club for a period of six years. From there, she went on to serve as the Visionary, Founder and Executive Director of Diamond In The Rough Youth Development Program (DITR), an award-winning group mentoring and leadership program founded in 2004 which has served over 5,000 girls and families since its inception. Nicole is the recipient of multiple awards including the 2021 Trailblazing Woman of the Year, The Department of Education’s 2018 MLK Drum Major Innovation Service Award, 2018 TIAA Difference Maker 100 Honoree, 2018 Raising Our Village Community Award, and many more. Nominated by Audra McDaniel, her colleague at Diamond in the Rough.
CORPORATE YOUTH LEADERSHIP AWARD – Sanah Jivani – The Love Your Natural Self Foundation
The Corporate Youth Leadership Award is presented to a young person who has participated in a corporate mentoring initiative and shown great leadership potential.
This year’s award winner is Sanah Jivani. Sanah is a dual degree graduate from The University of Pennsylvania, where she received a M.S. in Non-Profit Leadership and an M.S.E.d. Education, Culture and Society. Currently, she works as the Community Engagement Manager at Generation Hope, focusing on building community partnerships, recruiting mentors and promoting college access. Sanah has spent the last few years both engaging in and leading corporate mentoring initiatives, beginning in high school, where she was selected as one of thirty young people around the nation to be a part of the State Farm Youth Advisory Board. Through this opportunity, she worked with young people to allocate 5 million dollars of State Farms philanthropy budget to organizations around the nation. She was selected as the United States Delegate for Girls20, the only platform for young women to influence decisions of the G20, and has recently been involved with a corporate mentoring initiative at Bain & Company where she has been bringing virtual mental health and anti-bullying assemblies to students during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is also the founder and CEO of a non-profit organization called The Love Your Natural Self Foundation, which focuses on empowering individuals through events, mentors and hands-on sessions. She started this organization after losing all of her hair to alopecia in the seventh grade and struggling with bullying and low self-worth. Now, her non-profit organization hosts projects in 150 schools and 28 countries worldwide, including the International Day of Self-Love. She has reached over 50,000 students through speaking engagements, sharing her powerful personal story as inspiration for others. At age 24, Sanah has displayed countless examples of personal courage and steadfast advocacy for mentoring, which perhaps are best described in her own words: “Turn adversity into the opportunity to serve others.” Nominated by her friend, Boi-Han Nguye.
IMPACTFUL PHILANTHROPY AWARD – Stacey Ullrich – Under Armour and Executive Director, Under Armour Foundation
The Impactful Philanthropy Award highlights a foundation, company or individual philanthropist who has invested time and funds into mentoring initiatives across the nation and in their own communities.
Prior to joining Under Armour, Stacey held positions with Constellation Energy, PW Feats, Earl Beckwith & Associates, and the PGA TOUR. As part of her philanthropic efforts, she serves on the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, Center Club, iMentor, Project Pnuema, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Baltimore, Inc. and University Systems of Maryland Foundation board. Stacey has been a key figure in the mentoring movement in Baltimore. From supporting MENTOR MD|DC since its inception to supporting mentoring at a number of high schools and grassroots programs throughout Baltimore City, Stacey has made mentoring a cornerstone of her personal and professional life and led Under Armour in making mentorship a priority focus. Most recently, she supported mentor recruitment at Under Armour’s headquarters in support of a newly launched mentoring initiative for 9th grade students at several Baltimore high schools. Additionally, she supports a number of internal mentoring initiatives at Under Armour designed to encourage and engage young professionals. Stacey has also been active in engaging the local youth development and mentoring program field by speaking at a number of funders panels and roundtables, to provide even greater awareness into the need to fund grassroots and community-based programs. Nominated by Sadiq Ali of MENTOR Maryland | DC.
Finalists for the Impactful Philanthropy Award
Andrea Elder-Howell – Board Secretary of MENTOR NY
Andrea Elder-Howell was named Managing Director, Vice President-Legal of PSEG Long Island in 2018. In this role, Ms. Elder-Howell leads the legal team on Long Island and provides legal guidance on a variety of issues to key stakeholders at the utility. Andrea joined the MENTOR New York board in 2018. She has been an integral part of establishing the Board’s Development Committee to increase diversity and develop sustainable practices with a continuous pipeline of talent available to become part of our Board of Directors. She has made significant corporate investments in MENTOR New York by securing sponsorships for the 2020 and 2021 Mentor of the Year Awards. That funding supported MENTOR New York’s work to scale mentoring in New York State, touching over 850 organizations providing mentoring services across the state and reaching the over 80K youth they serve. This investment also allowed them to recognize five outstanding mentors and their contributions to their mentees and their mentoring programs, advocate for mentoring, and encourage and inspire others to become mentors. She also helped secure funding from PSEG LI as the presenting sponsor of the 2021 Virtual Mentoring Matters Conference, which ensured access to low-cost tickets and expanded accessibility to hundreds of mentoring professionals. Nominated by Brenda Jimenez of MENTOR New York.
Thomas F. Gilbane, Jr., Board Member of ACE Mentor Program
Tom is a tireless advocate for the ACE Mentor Program of America, which aims to engage, excite, and enlighten high school students about careers in the construction. Tom personifies that excitement in his fundraising efforts for this program. Serving as Chair of the National Board of Directors for six years, Tom’s love for ACE is well known among his peers. After his term as Chair, Tom has continued to serve as the Chair of the Development Committee, leading ACE to a nearly $2M fundraising goal in 2021. ACE has awarded over $25M in scholarships, largely thanks to the national leadership of Tom and his company, Gilbane, Inc. In addition to his dedication to fundraising, Tom gives endlessly of his time. He is actively engaged with both the Development and Executive Committees at ACE and works his busy schedule around attending ACE meetings. The exponential growth that ACE has experienced in the last ten years has been possible because of his leadership. Nominated by Stephanie McNeely of ACE Mentor Program.
Teddy Kapur – Board Chair of Imagine LA
Teddy has been a champion for mentorship and families for the last decade, taking on increasing levels of leadership at family- and mentorship-focused programs while remaining grounded in the daily work of engaging the community directly. Teddy first learned of Imagine LA while serving as president of the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California and signed up to be a mentor. He joined the board in 2015 and has served as board chair since 2018. Since then, under Teddy’s leadership, the Board has pushed for and equipped Imagine LA to grow its program by nearly 500% through geographic expansion and new family referral sources, including onsite service provision in Permanent Supporting Housing developments. Through Teddy’s advocacy, Imagine LA has evolved its core program to better meet the needs of families and youth emerging from homelessness, and wrote and began executing an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion strategic plan. Teddy provided strong guidance at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with families and youth at the center of every decision. Among other highlights during Teddy’s tenure as Board Chair, Imagine LA became the first family services organization in Los Angeles to be awarded funding for Department of Health Services Intensive Case Management Services. Nominated by Brian Rosenbaum of Imagine LA.
PUBLIC ELEVATION: Jamal Stroud, Big Homie Lil Homie Mentoring and Camp HOPE America
The Public Elevation Award is given to an individual or organization who uses their influence and public platform to encourage, support and draw awareness to mentoring.
This year’s award goes to Jamal Stroud, founder of Big Homie Lil Homie Mentoring, a mentoring program for young boys growing up without father figures. On a national level, Jamal works as the Mentor and Outreach Manager for Camp HOPE America where he provides technical assistance to 40 different programs throughout the United States. Jamal has been recognized locally and nationally for the lasting impact he’s had on more than 10,000 youth, offering support and positive male role models for young people in South Carolina. Jamal’s personal experience growing up in the foster care system and living in six different homes by the time he was six years old led him to the frontlines of improving and advocating for youth. Jamal has been a guest on The Ellen Show and has received numerous awards, including winning the prestigious Jefferson Award.
Finalists for the Public Elevation Award
Jay Flores – Invent the Change, LLC
As a Global STEM Ambassador and founder of Invent The Change LLC, Jay Flores knows how important STEM is to the future of the world. The power of STEM, Jay advocates, can help young girls and boys become super heroes, solve big (and little) problems and contribute their best ideas to improve our planet. He’s spreading the word through his energizing presentations and outreach to schools, community groups and industry experts. As a keynote speaker, Jay is masterful in connecting STEM to everyday life and motivating students to become tomorrow’s innovators. Jay is one of the most influential voices in STEM reaching millions of students every year as a member of Discovery Education’s Mystery Science Team. He nurtures curiosity by answering questions submitted by students like “How were LEGO bricks invented?” and “Why don’t people fall out of roller coasters when they go upside down?” Jay also serves as the emcee for the innovation competition Make48 which is filmed for PBS and reaches 96% of US Households. Jay is the creator of one of the most innovative brands in STEM education: “It’s Not Magic, It’s Science!” He uses the entertainment factor of magic to increase excitement and awareness in STEM with science experiments disguised as magic tricks! Each experiment is as entertaining as it is educational and is fun for all ages.
Wafa Saeed – Sudanese American Public Affairs Association
Wafa is an exemplary strong community leader, mentor, advocate, and entrepreneur. She was born in Kosti, Sudan and immigrated to the US in 1995 at 6 years old. She began her college career at the University of Colorado, Denver where she is finishing up her Masters in Biochemistry alongside her 3 undergraduate degrees in Biochemistry, Psychology, and Communications. The success of her business and nonprofit has allowed her to work alongside multiple non-profit organizations and the City of Denver, Aurora, and surrounding areas as well as local and state government officials in Colorado. Wafa served as the first national CEO & Executive Director for the Sudanese American Public Affairs Association (SAPAA). She began the first successful chapter in Colorado and developed the 4 prominent programs that have been used nationally throughout the organization. The biggest program being the Youth Leadership program that mentors high school and college students that she wrote and implemented the curriculum for. Her passion, dependability, power of engagement, and authenticity in helping people is visibly displayed in her advocacy and community involvement. Nominated by her colleagues and mentees at the Sudanese American Public Affairs Association.
PUBLIC SERVICE
The Public Service Award is a twofold honor – we celebrate individuals at both the federal and state/local level as champions in government who support the mission of mentoring. These public servants dedicate their knowledge, time and platforms to supporting mentoring and encourage adults to become mentors.
FEDERAL: The Honorable Mary Gay Scanlon, U.S. House of Representatives, Pennsylvania-05
At the federal level, this year’s Public Service Award goes to Representative Mary Gay Scanlon, a true champion for mentoring on Capitol Hill. Representative Scanlon has dedicated her career to serving the most vulnerable — first as a lawyer and now in Congress. She was first sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018 following a special election, and currently represents Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District. Rep. Scanlon’s legislative priorities include voting rights, access to justice, education, supporting economic growth for her region, common sense gun safety and ending hunger. Rep. Scanlon is a mentor herself and serves as the chair of the Congressional Youth Mentoring Caucus, which works to advance support for the mentoring movement on Capitol Hill through events, networking and legislative action. Nominated by MENTOR National and the Youth Mentoring Advocacy Coalition.
STATE & LOCAL: The Honorable Ned Lamont, Governor of Connecticut
At the state level, this year’s Public Service Award goes to Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut.
Governor Lamont has been a steadfast advocate of mentoring in his state. During COVID-19, he has added mentoring as a volunteer opportunity to the StateUpCT portal, connecting almost 200 more mentors to young people during a time of crisis. Additionally, he serves as the co-chair of the board of The Governor’s Prevention Partnership (MENTOR’s Affiliate in Connecticut), and is an active participant in events elevating mentoring across the state. Governor Lamont often speaks affectionately about this time as a volunteer teacher at a high school in his state where he shared his knowledge of small business ownership and helped connect students to local internships. Nominated by Kelly Juleson-Scopino of the Governor’s Prevention Partnership.