Meet the Team
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Meet the Board
Mathew Spero
Board Chair
Partner, Rivkin Radler LLP
Stephen Veronne
Vice Chair
Assurance Managing Director, EY
Andrea Elder-Howell
Board Secretary
Managing Director, VP-Legal, PSEG Long Island
John Nardulli
Treasurer
Assurance Partner, PwC
Linda Armyn
President & CEO, Bethpage Federal Credit Union
Steven G. Santino
Senior Vice President,
Retail Banking, PeoplesBank
Pamela Danbusky
Owner, Dunkin'
May Malik
Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Dr. Rolanda Ward
Endowed Faculty Director, Rose Bente Lee Ostapenko Center for Race, Equity, and Mission, Niagara University
Dana Pouwels
Head of Card Partnerships & Lounge General Manager,
JP Morgan Chase
Brian Ziegler
Partner-in-Charge, Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP
Fred Skolnik
Partner, Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP
Katya Skoufalos
Principal, Private Wealth Solutions
Morgan Slade Doyle
Director of Product Marketing, PERSUIT
Cristina V. Sheldon
Owner, Cristina V. Jewelry
Keisha Forbes
CB IB Regulatory Cross Product - Governance and Control, Deutsche Bank
Team Bios
Brenda Jimenez
For the past 20 years, Brenda's expertise in executive leadership, fund development, board development, and organizational management has supported nonprofit executives and boards to transform their organizations and increase their reach and impact.
She was appointed CEO of MENTOR New York in December 2019 and led the organization through a time of pandemic and racial unrest — pivoting to expand services to those in need while continuing to support longtime partners. Under her leadership, Brenda has increased partner engagement and developed resources, tools, and services that have allowed mentoring programs throughout New York to serve more than 80,000 young people.
Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, Brenda was raised in a military family stationed in Germany, Texas, and five other states. In her adolescence, her family settled in the Bronx, where she attended the prestigious Cardinal Spellman High School. Brenda received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Seton Hall University and later pursued a master's in Public Administration with a Non-Profit Management concentration from New York University. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Executive Leadership from The Center of Leadership at The University of Charleston, WV.
Since her college days, Brenda's commitment to women's and children's issues has driven her service in the community and professional choices. From 2011-2016 she was Board President for AllCare Provider Services, Inc. and is the former Board Treasurer for Latinas United for Political Empowerment Political Action Committee (LUPE PAC). She currently has the honor of serving as co-chair of the MENTOR Affiliate Advisory Council (MAAC).
Prior to joining MENTOR New York, Brenda worked for Big Brother Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) as an Associate Director of Agency Development; Girl Scouts of the USA as a Volunteer Development and Diversity consultant; and United Way of Essex and West Hudson as a Director of Public Campaigns, where she provided organizational development support to their local affiliates.
Brenda has received numerous recognitions for her work, including four Stevie Awards for women in business and a Comité Noviembre, “Lo Mejor de Nuestra Comunidad”: “The Best in Our Community” Award.
Brenda is happily married and has three daughters: Leilah, 31; Bianca, 13; and Sofia, 11. She currently resides in Jersey City, NJ.
Joie Golomb
Joie is an enthusiastic nonprofit leader, teacher, artist, advocate, and mentoring professional with 10+ years of experience in developing, executing, and sustaining educational and youth development programs.
Now based in Westchester County, Joie has worked closely with public schools and youth programs to elevate students' voices, build safe and inclusive learning environments, and equip youth workers with effective practices to drive social change and contribute to a just society. Joie uses creative management tactics and playful facilitation approaches to build a sense of belonging within a community and collectively achieve results.
Joie earned her BA and teaching certification from Emerson College and her Master of Science in Nonprofit Management from The New School in New York City.
Subira Taylor
As Director of Finance and Operations, Subira oversees all business activities related to human resources, operations, technology, and finance, to ensure our mission meets impact.
Subira has always been intrigued by business operations and the way financial data could be used to make a positive difference in the world. This led her to pursue a career in accounting and finance, which she has now been practicing for over a decade after receiving her B.B.A. in Finance from Temple University. A majority of her career has been spent in the non-profit sector, where she encourages the use of systems and data to help organizations reach their potential, maximize their reach, and create measurable impact—all while maintaining a humanistic focus. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family and friends, listening to music, and dancing.
Hadleigh Kindberg
Hadleigh joined the MENTOR New York team in 2017 and has been instrumental in creating the branding and image of the organization—developing language that effectively communicates our mission, vision, and impact in the community. She oversees the creation of brand-aligned content with MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and serves on their Affiliate Communications Committee.
Hadleigh is a fierce advocate of diversity, equity, and inclusion and ensures all content represents and honors young people's potential regardless of their circumstances. She earned a bachelor's degree in English and Interpersonal Communications at the University of Delaware.
For press or media inquiries related to MENTOR New York, contact Hadleigh at hkindberg@mentornewyork.org.
Cassy Lalanne
Cassy utilizes her experience in government and the private sector to further MENTOR New York's mission to close the mentoring gap. Since joining the team in 2021, she's played a pivotal role in managing internal projects and organizing fundraising events that raise awareness of the challenges faced by today's young people.
Cassy was born and raised in Brooklyn and is a proud graduate of CUNY, where she earned her bachelor's degree with a dual major in Communications and Business.
Sam Cowles
Sam joined MENTOR New York in 2023 with 10+ years of demonstrated impact in cross-sector strategic initiatives, partnership development, fundraising, facilitation, and design thinking for youth-centered organizations. Before joining MENTOR New York, Sam served as the Deputy Director of Employer Engagement and Partnerships at the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, where she drove relationships with key industry intermediaries to provide high-quality internships and entry-level job opportunities for teens and young adults.
A candid advocate for progressive causes and civic engagement, Sam has worked for political campaigns at the City and State level in New York and the national level for President Obama. She holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of Southern California and an MA in Sustainable Development from the School for International Training's Graduate Institute.
With roots in northern New York and many years of experience living and working in New York City, Sam now resides in Albany with her family. In her free time, she enjoys roller skating, solo travel, honing her bachata skills, and being an auntie.
Erica Friedman Coburn
Erica’s career has spanned mentoring, higher education, and human resources. In these fields, she gained substantial experience with program management, educating young adults, and developing positive and productive relationships with people and organizations. She is currently based in Rochester and serves as a connection point for our program partners in western New York.
Mentoring has been an invaluable part of Erica’s life, both as a mentee and a mentor. She was matched to her personable and incredibly driven Little Sister from 2011 to 2015 and the pair continue to stay in touch today. Erica earned her bachelor’s in hospitality management from Drexel University, her master’s in education from Temple University, and is an Academic Life Coach.
Naomi Rodriguez
Based on Long Island, Naomi plays a major role in developing and implementing processes to ensure services are delivered effectively to mentoring programs. Before joining the MENTOR New York team, she worked for various nonprofits in the region, gaining experience in program development and implementing evidence-based practices for various populations.
For Naomi, helping organizations build intentional relationships that facilitate growth for young people is the most rewarding part of her work. She graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a Bachelor’s Degree in Forensic Psychology, concentrating in Human Services.
Siân Davies
Drawing on over a decade of copywriting and journalism experience, Siân loves crafting content that uplifts mentoring stories, inspires volunteers, and amplifies young people's perspectives. Siân wrote for a variety of for-profit brands and publications before joining the MENTOR New York team in 2022.
Siân has a Bachelor's Degree in Film and Television Production from the University of London and a post-graduate diploma in Journalism.
Manassah Watkins
Manassah has had an interest in helping people since he was a child, often seeking to learn about the experiences of others. Since graduating with an MS in Software Engineering, he has served as an Assistant Software Technician, in addition to garnering multiple certificates in Java Development. Now, he's ecstatic to offer his expertise to MENTOR New York as a Program Support Vista. Manassah's ultimate goal is to promote the program success of the organization and engage with the mentoring community.
Harry St. Cloud II
After graduating with a BA in Political Science, Harry served at a self-help law center while exploring his interest in digital marketing. He has gained practical experience through freelance projects, apprenticeships, and internships, in addtion to earning certificates from major brands like Google.