iMentor (and its 1,800 program participants) are powered and supported by iMentor's dedicated staff, Board of Directors, Young Executive Board, and Board of Advisors. Learn more about our team, including bios below. Interested in joining the team? Check out open positions at iMentor.
Dava Antoniotti joins iMentor with seven years of experience in international nonprofit recruitment, training, management and customer service. She earned her B.A in Communications and Women’s Studies from Western Michigan University before traveling to Lima, Peru to volunteer with youth with disabilities through Cross-Cultural Solutions. As the Director of Program Enrollment for Cross-Cultural Solutions she led a team of 14, empowering 3,000 individuals to volunteer internationally each year, and visited NGOs in Brazil, India, Thailand, South Africa and Morocco to better understand the positive impact of international volunteers. Dava is passionate about promoting tolerance and understanding between people of different cultures and perspectives, as well as social and educational justice. She is currently pursuing her M.S. in Nonprofit Management at Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy.
Ashley Boynton comes to iMentor after several years’ experience working in education and youth development. After graduating from Colorado College with a B.A. in Neuroscience in 2007, Ashley served as an English language program assistant in the northern suburbs of Paris, where she developed and implemented English language programming in several elementary-level public schools. She then went on to act as program coordinator for Step Up Women’s Network, coordinating after school programs for teen girls in under-resourced public schools in and around New York City. Throughout her life, Ashley has been positively influenced by her mentoring relationships, both as a mentor and as a mentee, and is joining the iMentor team in the hopes that she can provide that same experience to NYC’s youth and adults.
Cleo Brooks Cavolo joins iMentor with a range of experience in the field of education, and has developed an expertise in collaborative partnerships, experiential learning and mentoring programs. In her most recent position as a Program Associate with The Blue Ridge Foundation, Cleo orchestrated strategic consulting projects with portfolio organizations. Cleo also worked with The Princeton Review, K-12 Services, where she helped develop and create an organizational marketing plan to improve outreach strategies and partnerships with school districts throughout the country. At Junior Achievement as the Director, Education Cleo was responsible for creating and sustaining partnerships between New York City public schools and corporate sponsors. Serving as a liaison between the public and private sectors she evaluated partnerships in search of strong models that increased experiential learning opportunities, enhanced program sustainability and provided ongoing financial support to New York City public schools. Cleo received her M.P.A. from the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service at New York University and her B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis in 2001.
Brooke Bryant brings a range of experience in the education and nonprofit fields to her current position at iMentor. While pursuing a Brooke Bryant brings a range of experience in the education and nonprofit fields to her current position at iMentor. While pursuing a PhD in Musicology from the CUNY Graduate Center, Brooke served as Director of Development for Welltone New Music, Inc. and taught music to grades K-8 in parochial schools in the Bronx and Brooklyn. She writes grants for and teaches music classes to young people and adults with disabilities at Daniel’s Music Foundation. She is excited about applying her research, writing and youth development skills to support iMentor’s innovative and successful programs. In addition, Brooke has taught at the university level, working as an Adjunct Instructor in the Fine Arts Department at Manhattan College and a Writing Fellow at the College of Staten Island, CUNY. An active performer, she is a singer/songwriter and performs with and directs the Baroque vocal trio Charites. Brooke earned a BA in Music and Medieval/Renaissance Studies from Wellesley College in 2003 and expects to receive her PhD in October 2009.
Amy Cruzis a recent graduate from Columbia University where she earned a B.A. in Urban Studies with a concentration in Sociology. While earning her degree she coordinated numerous events while at CU including fundraising events for Camp Heartland (a camp for children infected/affected with HIV/AIDS), career panels, and university visits from local middle and high schools. Originally from Long Beach, California, she began her work experience in New York City as an intern for Senator Schumer and soon developed an interest in working within the urban community to improve the quality of life for its residents, adults and youth alike. From this first internship, she learned the importance of the non-profit sector and thus began the search for her niche within it. During her last academic semester, she simultaneously interned at the United Way of New York City and Aspira of New York where she further defined her interest in working in the non-profit sector to improve the life of urban youth and learned that a sustainable community can only be achieved through effective programming that targets the issues facing its youth.
Scott Daughtridge brings to iMentor many years of experience with non-profit, community and government organizations. For the past ten years Scott has fed his deep passion for youth development and community activism by working with a number of youth programs and community organizations. With Partners for Youth, Scott served on the Grassroots Grants Allocation Committee, helping to distribute funds to a number of Lexington Kentucky’s leading grassroots organizations. As the Associate Development Coordinator with WonderRoot in Atlanta, Scott researched and applied for grant funding, as well as implemented various art programs for youth, including art workshops and a creative writing program that served Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta campuses. Scott received a BS in Psychology from Centre College, where he was a member of the Bonner Leadership Program, and earned a MSW from the University of Kentucky.
Unique Fraser has a strong background in urban youth education that developed through work in after school and summer programs with high school students. Before joining the iMentor team, Unique created literacy enrichment curricula for an after school college counseling program to promote academic success. She is a firm believer that with a strong foundation in multiple literacies and learning styles, young people can achieve excellence in and outside of the classroom. Unique earned her B.A. in Latin American Studies from Barnard College in 2000 and completed her M.A. in Latin American and African Diaspora History from Rutgers University in 2006. She is also a proud, native Brooklyn-ite.
Bridgette Ginyard comes to iMentor with experience in the consumer public relations and public affairs industry. Previously, she has worked for Hager Sharp, Edelman and the American Bible Society where she helped to lead strategic media relations campaigns for consumer brands and mission-oriented programming. Hailing from the San-Francisco Bay Area, she has a background in promoting volunteerism, community activism, and developing streamline messaging for various organizations. Bridgette graduated from Howard University in 2007 with a B.A. in Journalism. There she was active in the Howard University Red Cross and a classroom leader in Heads Up, a neighborhood initiative in the Washington D.C. where she gained experience in hands-on grassroots organization and after-school programming. Bridgette is thrilled to join the iMentor team and contribute to the overall impact of youth mentoring and the empowerment of NYC high school students.
Erica Goldman oversees iMentor Interactive, our social enterprise that helps member organizations manage high-performing mentoring programs using iMentor’s proprietary online platform. Prior to joining iMentor, Erica was Vice President of Consumer Marketing at DonorsChoose.org, a nonprofit online marketplace supporting public schools in low-income neighborhoods across the United States. She has led marketing and strategic initiatives at American Express, Sears.com, and Accenture. Early in her career, she started an Internet consultancy serving nonprofit and corporate clients, and founded one of the first philanthropic online communities in Boston. Erica has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA from Wesleyan University.
Sean Hamidi brings to the iMentor team a strong background in working alongside diverse youth communities and a particular interest in third-party educational programming. Sean recently graduated with High Honors from the Distinguished Majors program at the University of Virginia, where he majored in English and spent time teaching creative writing courses at a local middle school. After working with youth in the private sector for a number of years, Sean became involved with underserved populations in the Los Angeles area while interning with Inside Out Community Arts, an after-school theatre and arts program for public schools suffering from recent budget cuts. As a returning Program Coordinator, Sean looks forward to developing meaningful relationships with schools in the New York area and supporting iMentor during this tremendous and exciting period of growth.
Erica Hamilton joins iMentor with over ten years of experience managing programs and leading teams in the non-profit and private sectors. In her current role as the Chief Program Officer Erica will be responsible for defining and overseeing the growth, quality and innovation of iMentor programs both in New York City and nationally, including the development of external partnerships to increase iMentor's visibility and impact. Prior to joining the iMentor team Erica spent several years managing educational and professional development programs at several organizations including Prep for Prep, Sponsors for Educational Opportunity and the Institute for Youth Entrepreneurship. She has also lead teams in the US and abroad to drive business strategy, develop sales and marketing programs and implement strategic initiatives at Goldman Sachs and Citi. After graduating from college Erica launched a college preparatory mentoring program for students at her high school alma mater in the Bronx. And while at Wharton, Erica launched the school's first ever Non Profit Board Leadership Program to motivate MBA students to contribute their time and knowledge to the community by joining local non-profit boards. Erica received her M.B.A from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, her M.P.A from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University and her B.A. from Harvard University.
Kim Hendler joins iMentor after 3 years as Executive Director of Princeton Project 55. There she oversaw the growth of Project 55's flagship nonprofit fellowship program, which encourages recent graduates from Princeton to build careers in civic leadership through year-long fellowships at nonprofit organizations. Prior to working for Project 55, Kim worked for El Pomar Foundation in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she participated in a nonprofit leadership development fellowship program; directed a youth grant making program in 138 high schools; co-directed fellowship hiring; and supported the foundation's grant making. Kim is Vice Chair of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network National Board, is an alumni interviewer for Brown University, and a volunteer with Resource Generation. She has run workshops on a variety of topics in leadership and nonprofit management for diverse groups including outdoor leadership programs, youth philanthropy initiatives, community volunteers, high school students, and young professionals. Kim is committed to attracting talent to the nonprofit sector and making it a sustainable place to start and grow a career. She is thrilled to be working on talent strategy and development at iMentor!
Sandra Henry joins iMentor after working for the Penny Harvest, a program of Common Cents, for over two years as their Operations Fellow. While there she orchestrated the production, dissemination and collection of program materials and information to over 1200 schools and libraries. She also directed and negotiated Penny Harvest kit delivery and massive penny pick up efforts, and directed grants administration. In addition to her operational duties Sandra helped market the program to recruit schools, facilitated during program professional development and consulted with program coaches (teachers). She graduated from Kenyon College in May 2005 with a degree in Sociology. Inspired by her various sociology courses and a seminar titled "Education and Difference," Sandra is fueled by her passion for education and social change and hopes to continue to enrich the lives of New York City youth through her hard work at iMentor.
Maggie Hureau joins iMentor with experience in national service. At 18, Maggie joined City Year an AmeriCorps program, and served over 1700 hours to Boston’s Dorchester community. She then attended Eugene Lang College, the New School for Liberal Arts and pursued a BA in Urban Studies. While attaining her degree, Maggie volunteered as a mentor for 9th grade students in New York City public schools. After graduating, Maggie was reunited with the National Service movement by working for City Year in New York. As a senior program manager, she led 17 to 24 year olds through a year of service in elementary schools throughout East New York, Brooklyn. She built and fostered community partnerships and invested in the sustainability of the neighborhood. Maggie is excited to join the team and continue her passion for impacting youth by partnering with other non profit organizations.
Alexander James comes to iMentor directly from the NYC Department of Education, where he taught English for two years at Renaissance H.S. in the Bronx. With an interest in the arts, he has assisted in a variety of student performances and after-school activities. He received his B.A. in English and Film from Connecticut College. As a New York City Teaching Fellow he earned a Master's degree in Education with a focus in Middle/High School English education from Lehman College. Over the past two years he has examined the relevance and methods of successfully encouraging critical thinking in the English classroom. Prior to teaching, he worked as a videographer and editor for a local TV news station in New Jersey.
Elizabeth Kennedy comes to iMentor with experience in education, youth development and community empowerment, both at the local and international levels. A recent graduate from Trinity College, she earned her B.A. in American Studies and double minor in Hispanic Studies and Human Rights Studies. In that time, she actively engaged her Hartford community on and off campus in many leadership roles such as fundraising chair of the Trinity Chapter of Habitat for Humanity as well as co-organizer of the Trinity International Hip-Hop Festival, which aims to use all five elements of hip-hop as a tool for social empowerment. While interning with small non-profits abroad in Uruguay, Chile and Spain, she gained experience in linguistic, academic and career development with recent immigrant youth. Prior to iMentor, she also developed human rights curricula serving as an intern with Amnesty International within their Human Rights Education Program in the New York City Headquarters. She is very excited to join the iMentor team and looks forward to continue to positively impact New York City’s youth through empowering opportunities!
Ashley Legitime recently graduated from Syracuse University in 2008 with a B.S. in Public Relations and a Minor in Women’s Studies. At Syracuse, she took a special interest in the community surrounding the university. She helped run programs for youth at off campus after-school centers and was a tutor/mentor at programs catering to elementary through high school students on campus. She spent the past year as a Senior AmeriCorps member with City Year serving the youth of NYC. She coordinated the day-to-day schedules of seven individuals at a New York City public school, ensuring the good quality of their literacy, tutoring and after-school programs. She is extremely excited about the work iMentor does and the unique resources it provides high school students.
Julia Love joins iMentor with a wide range of experience in the nonprofit sector, including corporate partnership development, strategic planning, fundraising and communication initiatives. Prior to iMentor, Julia was the Director of Philanthropy at The Resource Foundation, where she advised corporate, foundation and individual donors on their charitable investments to Latin America and the Caribbean and was responsible for orchestrating online communication materials and strategies. Julia also worked as a research analyst at Euromonitor International in London and for Pro Mujer in New York and Bolivia. She has produced and directed five documentary films which have been shown nationwide. Julia currently serves on the Board of Directors for Behind the Book and is on the Advisory Board of the Urban Assembly School for Criminal Justice. Julia received an M.P.A. from the London School of Economics and Political Science, an M.P.A. from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, and a B.A. from Duke University. During 2002-2003, Julia was a Fulbright scholar in Bolivia.
Victoria Lowe comes to iMentor from an editorial background in magazines, where she wrote and edited material for publications including Town & Country and Cosmopolitan. She graduated from Colgate University in 2006 with a B.A. in English and Political Science, and has been involved in mentoring and advising urban youth for over 7 years. Prior to iMentor, Victoria worked with Prep for Prep in collaboration with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship to help high school students learn to create and effectively sustain their own businesses. Education and youth empowerment have been running themes in Victoria’s life, both of which excite and inspire her. She is thrilled to be a part of the iMentor team and looks forward to making a lasting impact on New York City youth
Ellen Mahoney's ten years of work in adolescent education has been driven by the belief that all children can succeed with the right community support and equal access to opportunities. She received her BA in English from the University of Oregon in 1999. Previously to her position at iMentor, she worked at The Arthur Ashe Educational Guidance Program in Queens, where she provided guidance counseling and educational assistance to teenagers and their families and trained guidance counselors and coaches on adolescent development and high school and college admissions. Prior to her experience in New York, she spent six years working in Washington DC's public and alternative schools and worked towards her Masters in Counseling at George Washington University. She taught Humanities and Media Literacy, counseled teens and their families, developed and implemented transition programs for incoming high school freshmen, and developed a guidance program to increase the academic achievement of students of color. Ellen has enjoyed 8 years of volunteer experience as a mentor and tutor for The Lab School of Washington, The Latin American Youth Center in DC, and Girls, Inc in Oregon.
Courtney joined iMentor in July 2010 with a wide range of experience in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors. After graduating from Fordham University with her B.A. in psychology and philosophy, she served as an AmeriCorps stipended volunteer with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity in Minneapolis, MN. Courtney then returned to New York City where she developed a diverse and invaluable skill-set as an event planner, production coordinator and administrative assistant at top firms in the financial services and fashion industries. Aligning with her desire to pursue her passion for social justice and change, Courtney earned her M.S.W. at the New York University Silver School of Social Work. She has worked with homeless and formerly homeless individuals and families, aging adults with dementia and, most recently, with HIV/AIDS infected and affected adults and children. As a social worker addressing the needs of underserved populations, she worked toward creating equal access to opportunity in these communities. Courtney firmly believes that quality education and youth development are crucial facets of building such opportunity and that positive mentor-mentee relationships have the power to change lives. She is extremely excited to be working with the smart, talented and driven staff here at iMentor and to be part of such an innovative, impactful organization.
Ryan came to iMentor in July 2010 as Operations Manager. Prior to joining iMentor, he worked for City Year New Hampshire. Through his experience with City Year’s program, he became passionate about youth education and development, particularly that of at-risk students. Ryan graduated from the College of Wooster in 2008.
Keith Miller recently graduated from Northwestern University in 2010 with a B.S. in Dance and Gender Studies. At Northwestern, he was a part of many youth development initiatives such as the Multicultural Board to increase Minority enrollment. In addition to that, he was a Senior Peer Admission Counselor that presented for parents, prospective students, and counselors from various school districts and conferences. He has also had the opportunity to present various diversity initiatives to the Deans of the School of Communication while co-developing the Educational Outreach program with the South Shore Cultural Center through the arts organization, Deeply Rooted Productions. Keith brings a variety of sociological research and approaches to Youth Development through the Performing and Visual Arts and is incredibly excited to grow and learn more with iMentor.
Mike O'Brien came to iMentor in 2003, after three years of working with New York City's at-risk youth in academic, athletic, and community-based settings. After graduating from Bucknell University with B.A.'s in both English and Psychology, Mike began teaching at William H. Maxwell Career and Technology High School in East New York, Brooklyn. In addition to teaching English and coaching the boys' basketball team, Mike launched after-school programs that included poetry workshops, literary magazines, tutoring programs, and borough-wide basketball tournaments. He has also worked with underserved communities and schools in Cape Town, South Africa.
Caroline Kim Oh joined the iMentor team in 2000 as its first Director of Programs, and was named Executive Director in 2002. In her current role as iMentor's President, Caroline focuses on Board and leadership group development and strategic, special projects. Prior to iMentor, Caroline was with the Small Business Congress of New York City, a federation of over 60 small business associations advocating the rights of small enterprises. Caroline also managed student-computing facilities for New York University and was a consultant to the Documentary Heritage Program for the NYS Department of Education and Korean American Small Business Center. Caroline currently serves on the Board of Directors for Row New York (an after-school rowing, academic, and self-esteem building program), Nonprofit Coordinating Committee (NPCC) and Youth Improving Nonprofits for Children (Youth I.N.C.). Caroline is a frequent speaker on the issues of youth mentoring, nonprofit management and leadership development. Caroline received her M.P.A. from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University and her B.A. from Cornell University.
Zulay Olivo earned a Bachelors of Science in Computer and Information Science from Syracuse University, with a minor in Philosophy. While attaining her degree, she developed another passion for combining information technology with youth outreach programs. At SU, she helped develop a Shadow Day Program bringing at-risk elementary students into the university to follow college students, giving them inspiration to aim for college matriculation and laying ground work for access to higher education. She has coordinated numerous events for SU including Habitat for Humanity programs, Chancellor Initiatives and the National Feminism and War Conference. She began implementing her IT knowledge with the non-profit sector by interning at The Arch, Inc., a non-profit organization aimed to make a positive difference in the community, primarily through creativity-based and multicultural education. She is eager to join the iMentor team and is enthusiastic to excel with the progression of iMentor Interactive.
Nicholas Ortiz joins the iMentor team after gaining experience in operations while working as an analyst at firms such as UBS and Goldman Sachs. While earning his B.A. in Economics from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, he attended summer internships for Citigroup in 2003 and 2004 in New York City through INROADS, a national internship program for minority students with high academic standards. Being motivated by his twin sister who is a high school history teacher in Brooklyn, he decided to use his experience to contribute to youth development. Wanting now to give back to the communities of the city, he felt unfulfilled working for major banks and companies and believes that iMentor is a perfect fit. Being born and raised in New York City, he loves the fact that he can help improve the underserved and underprivileged areas of the city by working for this wonderful organization that specializes in the development of high school youth in these areas. Nicholas joins iMentor with great dedication towards assisting the organization in growing and progressing, as well as contributing to the mission of improving the lives of youth through mentoring.
Amy Reynolds recently graduated from Colby College, where she majored in Psychology and Human Development. There, she involved herself in a variety of extracurricular activities, her favorite of which was mentoring a local elementary student. Their four-year match demonstrated to her the power of one-on-one, individualized relationships, and she is excited to help such relationships develop here at iMentor. She also volunteered at a youth center, and led two different student groups at local middle schools. Together, these activities inspired her to pursue a career working with youth and improving their educational experiences. Her other passions include running, watching baseball, reading, and being outdoors. While at school in Maine, she often used her free time to go hiking or skiing. She is very excited to join the iMentor team, and is really looking forward to working with all of the students and mentors!
Dana Saxon joined iMentor as the first full-time iMentor Interactive team member in August 2007. Formerly, Dana worked with New Leaders for New Schools, managing fundraising and partnerships to support the ongoing growth and development of the New Leaders Bay Area program. She has also conducted legal research and analysis regarding affirmative action programs and disparity studies, drafted proposals, and managed the implementation of projects for Mason Tillman Associates, a public policy firm located in Oakland, CA. Dana has experience teaching some of the most underserved students in the Philadelphia schools system, has worked as a law clerk at the Center for Disability Law and Policy in Philadelphia, and volunteered with the Homeless Advocacy Project, where she assisted clients who were homeless or living in shelters with legal issues. She earned her B.A. in Africana Studies from Vassar College and her law degree from Temple University in 2003. With the potential to impact mentoring relationships on a national level, Dana is thrilled to be a part of iMentor Interactive’s development and expansion.
Waine Tam joined iMentor as Chief Operating Officer in 2010. Most recently, Waine co-founded Sunridge Capital, a hedge fund based in New York City, in 2006. Prior to Sunridge Capital, Waine was employed at Goldman Sachs in various capacities in Investment Banking and Equity Capital Markets. He has served as a mentor at iMentor since 2003 and served on the iMentor Young Executive Board for six years prior to joining iMentor as COO. Waine graduated from Princeton University in 2001 with a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering and a Certificate in Finance.
Jonathan Vallejo joined the team as a Program Coordinator in August 2007 and joined iMentor Interactive as a Partnership Manager in August 2009; transferring his skills in managing/facilitating mentoring pairs to iMentor Interactive Members. He earned his BA in Government from Skidmore College and comes with years of experience in international travel, foreign languages and Youth Development. While at Skidmore, Jonathan worked as a Student Assistant Program Coordinator for the Intercultural Center, which promotes better understanding of and cooperation between student cultural groups and multi-faith based student organizations. In addition, Jonathan participated in a six-month study abroad program in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, studying Brazilian foreign policy and Portuguese at Poncificia Universidade Catolica (PUC-Rio). After graduating Cum Laude from Skidmore College, Jonathan joined the United States Peace Corps. As a Youth Development volunteer, he was an English Teacher and a Community Development Worker in a rural town in the region of Casablanca/Beni Mellal, Morocco (North Africa-Middle East). While there, he learned about the Arabic/Islamic cultures in Morocco and currently speaks fluent Moroccan Arabic (along with Spanish and Portuguese). Jonathan was also elected to be a representative of the Gender and Development Committee (GAD) that encourages and plans projects that promotes better understanding and participation of the roles of men and women in Morocco. After finishing his mission in the Peace Corps, Jonathan was a Director of the Advantage Program at Score! Educational Center, a subsidiary of Kaplan Inc., where he managed over $100,000 in revenue and ten part-time staff members while maximizing center growth and handling operations. Jonathan is a native Puerto Rican and a proud Bronxite.
Esther joins iMentor after spending two years in Southern Africa managing community development volunteering programs with African Impact. Her experience with African Impact began when she volunteered as an elementary school teacher with their project in Livingstone, Zambia. She then went on to work for the organization as the Manager of their project in Mozambique, where she trained and supported volunteers from all over the world as they taught at a rural preschool, a TEFL school, and in HIV Education workshops. Esther feels privileged to have played a role in developing projects that brought education and opportunity to so many underserved individuals. She was also deeply affected by witnessing the way that volunteers were often profoundly changed by their experiences. Before living in Africa, Esther graduated from Colby College in 2007 with a B.A. in English Literature. As a born and bred New Yorker, she looks forward to facilitating many more inspiring experiences for volunteers on this side of the Atlantic through iMentor’s fantastic program.
Cherika Wilson comes to iMentor straight from the University of Pennsylvania where she earned her B.A. in Psychology and Sociology. Cherika has always had an avid interest in the field of youth development. At Penn she was involved in several youth-focused organizations namely:- the West Philadelphia Improvement Corp (WePIC), the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC) Step Mentoring Program and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Through her involvement with WePAC Step Mentoring Program, a student group dedicated to teaching step to children in West Philly, she helped to provide a creative outlet for her students. Additionally, this experience was one of her first glimpses into the public school system in the US. It affirmed for her that the education system was one of the most instrumental means through which she could positively effect change in the lives of children. A proud Jamaican, Cherika is eager to add her own experiences and fresh perspective to the amazing team that is iMentor.
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