Expert Panel Discusses Value of Public-Private Partnerships in Expanding Quality Mentoring Programs

By: MENTOR

Press Release

The Honorable Patricia de Stacy Harrison moderated breakfast panel with leaders from the public, private and non-profit sectors at the National Mentoring Summit

WASHINGTON — On Thursday, January 28 representatives from the Department of Education, Corporation for National and Community Service, AT&T, Bank of America Charitable Foundation and others participated in a breakfast panel discussion at the National Mentoring Summit to explore the value of public-private partnerships in expanding quality mentoring programs and discuss how these partnerships can maximize scarce public resources by scaling effective and evidence-based programs through a shared vision.

The Honorable Patricia de Stacy Harrison moderated the breakfast panel with leaders from the public, private and non-profit sectors, including:

  • Dan Cardinali, President, Communities in Schools
  • Leslie Cornfeld, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Special Advisor to the Secretary, Department of Education
  • Michelle Gilliard, Partner, Venture Philanthropy Partners
  • Allison Hannel, Director of Community Engagement, AT&T
  • Max Finberg, Director, AmeriCorps VISTA, Corporation for National and Community Service
  • Kerry Sullivan, President, Bank of America Charitable Foundation

The breakfast panel discussion was one of two exclusive sessions of expanded programming offered by this year’s Corporate and Philanthropic Exchange.

As a private Summit track, the Corporate and Philanthropic Exchange offered an intimate forum for the country’s top mentoring investors and their counterparts in business, government and philanthropy to engage in meaningful and relevant dialog, peer to peer networking and invaluable idea exchanges aimed at accelerating solutions to close the mentoring gap in our country.

While together, participants were encouraged to challenge each other to grow and learn, forge new connections, identify opportunities for collaboration, and shape strategies to increase community/employee engagement in the mentoring movement to expand the number of quality mentoring relationships that exist for young people in our communities. ​

Throughout the discussion, panelists offered insight from different vantage points about how successful public-private partnerships can maximize scarce public resources by scaling effective and evidence-based programs through a shared vision.

“Our programs offer flexibility to better fit the needs and wants of our employees,” Hannel said. “We do our best to meet workplace and community needs while helping to close the mentoring gap.”

Asked to describe the importance of mentoring in one word, panelists called a person’s commitment to mentoring others “selfless,” “game-changing” and “transformational.”

The National Mentoring Summit, convened by MENTOR, is the only national forum that brings together practitioners, researchers, corporate partners, government and civic leaders, national youth-serving organizations and the network of affiliate Mentoring Partnerships to explore and advance mentoring’s positive impact on individuals and communities.

 

About MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership
MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership is the unifying champion for quality youth mentoring in the United States. MENTOR’s mission is to close the “mentoring gap” and ensure our nation’s young people have the support they need through quality mentoring relationships to succeed at home, school, and ultimately, work. To achieve this, MENTOR collaborates with its network of affiliate Mentoring Partnerships and works to drive the investment of time and money into high impact mentoring programs and advance quality mentoring through the development and delivery of standards, cutting-edge research and state-of-the-art tools. Connect with MENTOR on TwitterFacebook and Instagram.

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