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Christina Armstrong is the Program Director of Youth Mentorship & Compliance at Public Allies Chicago and oversees all aspects of Public Allies’ Youth Mentoring Program and compliance. She also coaches and supports Allies, or young adults who participate in the 10-month leadership development and apprenticeship program. She brings to the role her experience working with schools and nonprofits as a Restorative Practices/Restorative Justice Coach and Practitioner. Christina has developed and managed programs and events for children and youth in the areas of socio-emotional learning, civic engagement, the arts, college and career readiness, tutoring and mentoring. Additionally, she is a social entrepreneur helping to create differentiated storybooks and curricula in a family-run company, Grow-Into Books. Christina enjoys composing, writing music and performing as a vocalist and instrumentalist. She has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in Educational Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is from and resides on the Southside of Chicago.
Carlecia noticed the lack of mentoring programs available to young women in the area and decided to change that narrative. She has always served in her community and has a passion to help young women of color successfully navigate through a society that often treats them differently. She worked to develop the Phenomenal She mentoring program in Federal Way, WA. Carlecia is a Financial and Relationship Management Expert and brings years of leadership experience, having served in various leadership roles for the past 13 years for a Fortune 500 Financial Services Company. Carlecia holds a B.S. in Biology from Dillard University, New Orleans, LA and an M.B.A. from University of Phoenix, Online.
Samuel has been a mentor and youth development consultant increasing the capacity and impact for community and school-based mentoring programs working with young men of color for over a decade. He is currently the Senior Director of training and Program Development for Mentor North Carolina, a MENTOR North Carolina is a statewide Affiliate of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership. Samuel provides mentoring programs with a range of capacity building resources to help programs incorporate or enhance quality mentoring practices that ultimately lead to long term sustainability. He is a recipient of the Charleston Business Journals Health Care Hero award and is a member of the Charleston Regional Business Journals 40 under Forty. Samuel also serves on the board of the Social Emotional Alliance for SC, where he promotes, advocates and works to advance effective social-emotional learning in all schools, families, organizations, and communities in South Carolina. This 3x author holds a Master’s in Public Administration with a focus on Nonprofit Management and is married with 2 sons and one daughter.
Ashlee serves as a Mentoring Coordinator for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colchester. Ashlee is dedicated to creating friendships with a volunteer and a child. She feels that developing this friendship allows children to have an extra positive support person in their life and that the smiles and the stories she hears from matches is the best feeling. Ashlee is currently in her final year of a Social Work degree with a focus on mental health.
Lindsey Cali joined MENTOR Colorado as a Program and Outreach Manager in August 2019. A former teacher, Lindsey is dedicated to education and providing children support and resources necessary to succeed. Working with young people, specifically youth from traditionally marginalized communities, has always been her passion and is what brought her to become a teacher. Lindsey is inspired and enthusiastic about the mission of MENTOR Colorado and is dedicated to working to impact young people on a large scale by working with mentoring programs to increase their capacity and quality. Prior to moving to Colorado, Lindsey was an active volunteer/committee member in several non profit organizations in Arizona: National Charity League, St. Vincent de Paul, Mom’s Pantry, and Feed My Starving Children. Lindsey earned her B.A. in Elementary Education from Arizona State University.
Lee (they/she) supports MENTOR Canada’s community initiatives, bringing a passion for meaningful engagement and relationship building to their advocacy. Their previous work centered violence prevention, 2SLGBTQI human rights, public arts, and gender and sexual equity.
Archana is a postgraduate in Social Work from the Karve Institute of Social Sciences, Pune, with a specialization in Medical and Psychiatric Social Work. In my career spanning over a decade and half, I’ve worked across a range of community and thematic areas across Mumbai and Pune, including palliative care, community based health, non-formal special education, and now youth mentorship. Prior to Mentor Together, I’ve worked with Cipla, Bombay Community Public Trust, Sahyog-Chehak Trust, and Harmony for Silver’s Foundation.
Véronique leads MENTOR Canada's research agenda, with a focus on mapping the mentoring landscape in Canada and identifying service gaps. She is also a co-lead of the Canadian Centre for Mentoring Research. Véronique is committed to MENTOR Canada’s knowledge mobilization goals and is eager to use the new research to bridge the gap between academic researchers and community organizations. Prior to joining MENTOR Canada, Véronique led programs focused on promoting healthy relationships for youth and violence prevention. Véronique holds two degrees in history, a PhD from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts from the Université de Montréal.
Briana Clark is the Program Director at New Pathways for Youth. She is a native Arizonan who began a career supporting youth through education as a classroom teacher. Briana worked for seven years in the classroom, spending time in grades ranging from K-8. She spent her time dedicated to working in low income areas, serving students who did not have access to many essential services in schools. Briana shifted into the mentoring field after devoting a year as a volunteer mentor with New Pathways. She is still in an active mentoring relationship with her mentee four years later and is an advocate for youth mentoring in the community. With a Master’s Degree in Educational Policy, Briana looks to find innovative ways to support youth in bridging the achievement gap and allowing all youth to reach their full potential.
Jessica Corser, MSW is the Family and Child Coordinator with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle TN. Jessica oversees BBBSMT’s 2Gen work and has a passion for bringing health/wellness, social, and economic opportunities to youth and their families. Jessica also has over 5 years experience as a counselor working with adults and children in the community mental health setting.
Kirsten Dent, who resides on Treaty 1 territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, is a social worker who has worked at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Winnipeg since 2010. She loves her work as it has privileged her with so many different relationships that have taught so much. She has seen mentoring shape so many lives in so many different ways.
Katie is the Enrollment and Match Specialist with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Idaho. She has been in this role for two years, and has always had a strong passion for children and mental health. Katie is also currently earning her master’s degree in social work and will graduate in December 2022.
Heather Downing is the Youth Success! Mentoring Program Manager, a program of the Empower Youth Network. She has worked in non-profit management over 4 years, volunteer management over 8 years and with schools over 11 years. Heather brings with her a wealth of people skills, organization and compassion. She successfully led two district levy campaigns for Riverview School District. Heather is a supporter and active leader working with community youth groups that include 4H and United States Pony Club. Heather held a board position during Duvall Co-Op preschool’s first year. Heather earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Washington State University and lives in Duvall with her husband and 3 kids.
Natalia Kubishyn is a PhD Candidate in the School and Applied Child Psychology Program in the Faculty of Education at Western University. She is a graduate research assistant in the Centre for School Mental Health. She is interested in the study and development of peer-based interventions for immigrant and refugee youth.
Abbie Evans is Senior Director of Government Relations 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.
Michael Garringer serves as the 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.
Joie Golomb has worked in the nonprofit sector for over ten years designing, executing, and sustaining youth development programs for summer camps, after-school programs, school-based programs, and community-based organizations. As a former arts educator in theater, dance, and music, Joie brings creativity, social-emotional skills, and playfulness to her work. With MENTOR New York, Joie provides training and consulting services to dozens of youth-serving organizations while fostering high-quality partnerships, sustaining relationships with programs across the state, and developing new relationships with cross-sector partners. Joie has her master's in Nonprofit Management from Milano School of Policy, Management and Environment at The New School and a BS in Theater Education from Emerson College.
Linda Gorter oversees all of the programs offered by Big Brothers Big Sisters of York & Adams Counties, including the Community Mentoring Program and the School Mentoring Program. She became the agency's Executive Director in 2017 and has been spearheading its overall operations ever since. She worked for over twenty years with the YMCA in Harrisburg and York, earned her undergraduate degree from the State University of Oswego, and obtained her Master degree in Business from Eastern University. She is extremely involved in the local community, serving as an active member of the Rotary Club of York-East, a Board member of The York Area Housing Group, and is a Volunteer Companion at Olivia’s House, A Grief and Loss Center for Children.
Caroline is a retired educator with over 30 years experience as a teacher and principal with Edmonton Public Schools. During that time she was also seconded to Alberta Children’s Services and Alberta Education. Currently Caroline works as the Community Engagement and Communications lead for the Alberta Mentoring Partnership.
Josephine Hawke, PhD., is the Program Manager for Mentoring Initiatives for Systems-Involved Youths and has worked at The Partnership since October 2019. She brings extensive experience in grant writing, project management, and working with teams at the state and national levels. With over 25 years of experience working in both prevention and services improvement, Dr. Hawke has a passion for work that improves the lives and well-being of at-risk youths and their families. Her expertise is evidence-based approaches for youth and families impacted by psychological trauma and substance use in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Her work experience includes leading a non-profit family peer support organization which served families with children who have behavioral health issues, faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Connecticut Health Center, senior research positions, and founding a mentoring program for children with incarcerated parents. She has sat on the Department of Children and Families’ Institutional Review Board, Co-Chair of the Connecticut Children’s Behavioral Health Advisory Council, and a variety of advisory boards which focus on improving services for young people across Connecticut, including community initiatives to promote drug-free communities.
Crystal Kim is a mentoring practitioner passionate about empowering underresourced children and adolescents, particularly girls and Asian American youth, by introducing them to caring, confident, and culturally competent mentors. Most recently, she served as Program Manager for the High School Mentoring Program at Apex for Youth in New York City. She began her youth development career at Big Sister Association of Greater Boston, where she coordinated school-based and workplace mentoring programs for girls in elementary and middle schools. Crystal has extensive experience in program development working with youth and volunteers in one-on-one and group settings with a focus in social-emotional learning, professional development, purpose exploration, and girls’ empowerment. Crystal holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hamilton College in Sociology and Education Studies and a Master’s degree in Social Justice & Education from University College London Institute of Education, where she examined the intersections of gender and education by researching school feminist societies and teen girls’ activism on social media. Previously, she has served at Oasis for Girls, Gender and Education Association, BRAC UK, and Womankind. This year, she was selected as a Fellow for the National Mentoring Summit Fellowship and began serving as a volunteer mentor and consultant at ASPIRE (Asian Sisters Participating in Reaching Excellence).
Mikael works with volunteers, interns, and in-kind donors to support the child welfare, mental health, trauma-informed, developmental disability, and violence prevention programs of Catholic Charities of Baltimore. As a two-time immigrant to the United States with work experience overseas, Mikael's educational background is in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics.
DeWarren K. Langley, JD, MPA, MHFA is an equity, diversity & inclusion and black male achievement thought leader, student success coach, policy analyst and strategy consultant. He is the Visionary & Executive Director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Foundation, Inc. which is an academic, leadership and professional development nonprofit organization which provides a continuum of programs, service, and coaching to educate, engage, empower and equip boys and young men of color with the strategies they need to succeed in the competitive workforce and secure socioeconomic success. Dr. Langley is also the Principal Consultant & Chief Strategist for Solutions Consulting Services, LLC which provides actionable guidance and capacity building services designed to support the specific needs of nonprofit clients to create social change and improve effectiveness to achieve better outcomes for stakeholders. In addition, he is a Social Justice Fellow with the American Express Social Justice Leadership Academy of the Center for Creative Leadership with a focus on workforce equity to prepare, equip boys and young men of color for pathways to high skill, high wage and in demand occupations for economic stability and mobility. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management & Economics with a minor in Leadership Studies from Hampton University, Juris Doctor with a concentration in Civil Rights & Constitutional Law from North Carolina Central University School of Law, Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Government Administration and Public Policy from North Carolina Central University; a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University and a Diversity Equity & Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business. He earned a Certificate in Mental Health First Aid from the National Council for Behavioral Health, and a Certificate of Completion in Technology of Participation Group Facilitation Methods from the Institute of Cultural Affairs. In addition, he completed the Racial Equity Training I of the Racial Equity Institute.
Nichole Lewis is the Mentor Program Director with MENTOR Rhode Island. Nichole started with the MENTOR Rhode Island in 2009 as an AmeriCorps Vista and program assistant. She has a passion for community service, youth empowerment, and all things pink and sparkly. Having worked in the non-profit sector since 1991, Nichole has acquired extensive experience and an amalgam of skills perfect for coordinating mentor programs. Nichole studied elementary, middle school, and secondary education, as well as biology and chemistry at RI College. After definitively coming to the realization that she did not want to be a teacher, she found that MENTOR Rhode Island was the perfect place to continue bringing communities together through youth support. Nichole and her two children are proud Bristolians, Legend of Zelda enthusiasts, and believers in the Oxford Comma.
Tracy has held executive leadership roles at Executive Director of the Lionheart Foundation and Vice President at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary. She has been consultant to mentoring programs and organizations across Canada leading mentoring program development, organizational structures and quality mentoring practices and knowledge mobilization, and now providing national leadership as Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives at MENTOR Canada. A regular contributor to the work of the Alberta Mentoring Partnership and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, Tracy has a proven track record of developing and implementing innovative mentoring programs, tools, partnerships and collaborations. Tracy holds an MA in Counselling Psychology from Gonzaga University and is a Certified Canadian Counsellor.
Ryan Matthews serves as the Vice President of Programs with Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Executive Director of The Susie Foundation. At Nutmeg, Ryan is charged with leading Connecticut’s largest one-to-one youth mentoring program, which serves well over 750 children across Nutmeg’s 132 town service area with a program budget of over $1.1M. During Ryan’s tenure Nutmeg has grown to serve an increasing number of children across Connecticut by increasing its overall program service capacity by over 20%, while also receiving national recognition from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America for outstanding service delivery. Additionally, Ryan has tackled statewide and national youth advocacy and evaluation efforts, having been appointed by Governor Malloy to the Governor’s Youth and Urban Violence Commission and the Connecticut State Legislature’s Juvenile Justice Policy Oversight Committee’s Diversion Workgroup, as well as serving as a Research Liaison for the National Youth Relationships Study, which evaluated the longitudinal impact of youth relationships with non-parental adults. In addition to his work at Nutmeg, Ryan concurrently serves as the Executive Director of The Susie Foundation, an organization which he founded following his mother’s death to support families struggling with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. During his tenure as Executive Director, The Susie Foundation has raised close to $600,000 to support families living with ALS in New England. Ryan was named to the Hartford Business Journal’s 40 under 40 list in 2016 and was inducted into the Woodland High School Hall of Fame in 2017. He has also been named a Hometown Hero by the Hartford Courant and a Myra Kraft Community MVP by the New England Patriots. Ryan graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Connecticut in 2009 with a BA in History and Political and received his MPA in Nonprofit Management from the University of Connecticut in 2016.
Cassandra has over 10 years of experience working in education. She has worked as an administrator, life skills teacher, and operations manager in district and charter schools across the state. She played a vital role in establishing three charter schools in Kent and New Castle County Delaware through her work as a manager for a charter management organization. Prior to working in education, she worked in public relations, marketing, broadcast, technology and social services. Cassandra graduated from Caldwell University with a degree in Communications/Sociology. She is passionate about education and social service programs for youth. She is excited about the opportunity to work in an organization that allows her to utilize her diverse skill sets to maintain and develop programs to help to develop the skills that they need to successfully navigate school and life.
Miriam is a Doctoral Candidate at Portland State University’s School of Social Work. Her experience includes working with youth, adults, and families in diverse settings such as in domestic violence, the juvenile and adult justice system, in education (K-12 and higher education), and in other non-profit organizations. This experience provided her with knowledge and skills in mental health, chemical dependency, community-based research, and youth mentoring. Her practice and research areas of interest include social work with Latinos, animal (equine) assisted interventions, youth mentoring, mental health, ethnocultural empathy and social justice, and quantitative methodologies.
Dustianne North Ph.D, M.S.W. has worked since 1995 at the intersection of research and practice, to strengthen youth and adult mentoring, SUD and violence prevention, mental health, and youth development and empowerment services. She specializes in programming for youth and families in highly distressed situations (foster care, justice-involved, homeless, teen parents, mental health/SUD concerns, poverty) and espouses an emancipatory and abolitionist practice approach aimed the dismantling of harmful systems and institutions in favor of self-determination by marginalized peoples. Dr. North draws upon over two decades of experience providing direct services as well as training and technical assistance for a large array of youth and family programs nationwide, addressing direct practice issues such as trauma-informed care and reflective practice, antiracist and culturally relevant practice and organizational development, among other concerns in mezzo-level program design and organizational development, interagency partnerships, and community organizing and mobilization. Her scholarly work in Social Welfare allows her to implement effective research to practice efforts, evidence-based services, program evaluation, and research methodologies (qualitative methodologies including grounded theory, case study, and analytic induction; basic qualitative analysis as well as network analysis and participatory action research). Dr. North serves as Lead Instructor for UC Berkeley’s Professional Program in Fundraising and Volunteer Management and has lectured and conducted research in the UCB School of Social Welfare. She serves as the Research Director and a Technical Assistance Provider for the California Mentoring Partnership.
Stephanie Ortega is a San Diego native and has been with Promises2Kids for fifteen years. She has followed many of the organization’s Guardian Scholars students throughout their educational experiences and into independence. Stephanie earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Law and Society with a minor in Spanish at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and completed her Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology at Argosy University in Washington, D.C. Currently, Stephanie currently oversees Promises2Kids' operations and all programs.
Nicki Patnaude serves as the Director of the National Quality Mentoring System for MENTOR National. 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.
Rebecca Porzig joined BBBSA in 2020 as Project Analyst in the Foundation Grants department. She is a psychologist by education, but not in the way you might think. Instead of taking a clinical route, her undergraduate and graduate studies were steeped in research and statistics. After graduating she went straight to work providing data management and program evaluation support for a county-level funding organization supporting youth- and family-oriented nonprofits. Research and evaluation may be her professional passion, but she also has a lighter side. When not in the office you can probably find her “flying through the air with the greatest of ease…” studying circus arts such as trapeze.
Dr. Christina Rinaldi is a Professor in the College of Social Sciences & Humanities at the University of Alberta and the Scientific Director for the Canadian Center for Mentoring Research. Her professional experience working in schools, hospitals, and mental health settings has informed her work. Her particular expertise is in the area of developmental social and emotional psychological functioning and wellbeing, parenting, parent-child relationships, and early childhood school readiness. Her research interests include studying how critical relationships (family, mentors) support children and youth social and emotional learning, development, and overall wellbeing.
Ashley Shepard is the Assistant Program Director at BEST Kids Inc mentoring program in Washington, D.C. She graduated from the University of Kansas in December of 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Behavioral Sciences with a concentration in Early Childhood Intervention & Education. During her time in Kansas, she spent most of her time working with young children with disabilities and served as a High School volleyball coach. Ashley has a strong passion in helping children develop and building relationships, all stemming from her time as an Early Childhood Teacher in North Carolina. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, playing volleyball, and trying out new restaurants with her husband.
Rev. Terri Jane Stewart, an Ordained Pastor, is the Steward of Connection at Circle Faith Future, a non-profit focused on promoting resilience and healing in people and communities that are affected by big issues such as incarceration and the climate crisis. Terri's role is focused on incarceration, poverty, and creating connection, primarily through chaplaincy and mentoring. They are a graduate of Seattle University's School of Theology and Ministry with an Master's of Divinity, a Post-Master's Certificate in Pastoral Leadership, and a Post-Master's Certificate in Spiritual Direction. They are currently pursuing a PhD at Gonzaga University in Leadership Studies.
Rachelle has been working with the Government of Alberta and the Alberta Mentoring Partnership (AMP) to expand and enhance mentoring for children and youth across the province. As part of the AMP provincial coordination team she has lead strategic planning, evaluation, and population survey projects for the partnership. Through her work in Alberta Children’s Services managing grants to service providers, she has developed an understanding of the research basis for mentoring, the evaluation strategies in place across various organizations, and the outcomes sought by funders investing in mentoring programs. To strengthen Canadian mentoring research capacity, she is currently assisting with the formation of a Canadian Centre for Mentoring Research, alongside colleagues at the University of Alberta and the Canadian Mentoring Partnership (CMP).
Megan Vella has a degree from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Education from Charles Sturt University. Megan began her career in 2006 as a youth support worker for the Department of Education in Sydney, Australia. After working in family mediation, youth homelessness prevention and crisis shelters, Megan joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto in 2010. During her 10 years with BBBS Toronto, Megan both delivered and managed mentoring programs. As BBBS Toronto’s Director of Community Impact & Development, Megan led core program innovation, collecting impact data and contributing to a number of successful funding proposals. Megan recently joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada team because she is passionate about sustaining and defending youth programs with authentic impact data and enjoys transcending research into frontline practice. Megan is a proud East Coast Canadian raising a family in downtown Toronto.
Sarah Walker is currently the Chief Program Officer at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley and has been with the agency since 2010. She began her career in early childhood and parent education after graduating from Augustana College with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. After shifting to non-profit, Sarah obtained a master's degree in public administration.
Sara Wingerath-Schlanger returned to Tuesday's Children in September 2017, where she had previously served for many years as the Director of Tuesday’s Children’s Youth Mentoring Program for children who lost a parent on 9/11. Prior to rejoining Tuesday's Children, Sara was the Executive Director of Special Ops Survivors and Program Director of ArtWorks, the Naomi Cohain Foundation. Sara holds a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA), with a concentration in nonprofit management, and a Certification in Volunteer Administration (CVA). She brings extensive knowledge of best practices in mentoring—including outreach, recruitment and screening—as well as an instrumental understanding of the landscape of current services available to bereaved military families and their long-term needs for support and growth. Sara has designed and executed trainings for other mentoring professionals on supporting grieving children and has served on advisory boards and boards of directors at various nonprofits impacting positive change. To date, Sara has facilitated all of Tuesday’s Children’s peer mentoring matches, and has been a crucial resource as the organization continues digital expansion of its mentoring programming.