Christina Barone
Pronouns: She/Her
Christina Barone is the Mentor Initiative Manager at United Way of Palm Beach County, whose mission is to offer mentoring opportunities for teens ages 11 to 19 years old who are directly involved with or at risk of entering the Juvenile Justice or Dependency system. Christina has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Florida International University. Christina has served as a juvenile probation officer, dependency case worker, mentor program director, college advisor, and life coach giving her a diverse background of experiences to share with those mentors, leaders, and students she works with. Her work in youth development spans from elementary school grades to the university level. Christina is a certified Health and Life Coach. She helps clients make progress in all areas of their lives, relationships, health, career, life balance, spirituality, etc. She coaches people through life transitions, helps them discover their life purpose and find meaning and fulfillment in life, and supports them as they change or enhance their career. She is passionate about helping youth have a strong support system as they progress through their life. She developed and executed a school based mentoring program at Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Palm Beach County. Christina is very excited about sharing her knowledge and expertise to further the impact of mentoring relationships and programs wherever possible
Kianna Bermudez, CNP
Pronouns: She/Her
Kianna Bermudez, CNP, is an accomplished youth-development professional with over ten years in the mentoring field. As a mentor, youth advocate, program coordinator, and District-level consultant, Kianna has consistently displayed her ability to foster personal and professional growth with her constituents. Her strategic guidance and insights optimize mentoring initiatives and outcomes, creating impactful experiences for mentors and mentees. Always seeking to improve her impact and stay sharp in the social-impact world, Kianna earned the Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) credential, enhancing her professional development and growth. She is dedicated to empowering the next generation and dismantling barriers that perpetuate social injustices faced by marginalized individuals disproportionately.
Samuel Bellamy
Pronouns: He/His
Samuel has increased the effectiveness of community- and school-based mentoring programs working with young men of color over the past ten years as a mentor and youth development advisor. He uses his years of experience as a capacity builder and strategic implementer to offer youth mentoring programs a variety of resources for capacity building, empowering programs to adopt and improve the mentoring practices that have a long-term sustainable positive impact. Samuel manages a portfolio of grant making projects across nine counties as a program officer for a Community Foundation. He also provides technical assistance and result management services to nonprofit organizations all throughout the region. Samuel has a Master’s in Public Administration with a specialty in Nonprofit Management, is a certified DISC trainer, a skilled Results Based Accountability facilitator, a published author three times, and more. In addition to being married and the father of three kids, he serves Increasing Faith Ministries as an Associate Pastor. sbellamy.ta@gmail.com
Candice Blackwell
Pronouns: She/They
Candice Blackwell (she/her/they/theirs) is a Baltimore native; a mother of two beautiful and talented daughters; and, for over a decade, has served as an advocate for equitable practices and access to resources for young people in her community. Her personal, professional, and academic pursuits have afforded her the opportunity to acquire advanced communications, operations and administrative, and strategic planning skills. Candice has worked in the non-profit and youth engagement sector since 2007, with a vision to transform youth academic and workforce development programs. During this time, she has worked in collaboration with schools, recreation centers, local government, grassroots organizations, and community members to facilitate conversations around systemic barriers in education and the workforce, develop and implement innovative youth-led learning environments, engage local practitioners in training that promotes cultural relevance and centers youth voice, and empower youth and young adults to be change makers. Through her work during and following the Baltimore Uprising in 2015, it became evident that the voices and experiences of young people would be the spark that would ignite the transformative change that her city needed. She has used this momentum to be an advocate for the advancement of youth-led conversations around social justice and education reform. As an advocate, Candice will continue to work to magnify the voices of those who often go unheard, engage marginalized and oppressed communities in dismantling systematically oppressive barriers, and help to enhance and develop sustainable and autonomous community-led liberation and leadership models. In addition to being a driver for social change, she is passionate about art, spending time in nature, cooking, getting lost in a good book, and traveling. cblack.development@gmail.com
Dana Carr
Pronouns: She/Her
Dana Carr is the Founder and Principal Consultant of The Creative Impact Group. Dana spent over 9 years as Executive Director of Leaders of Tomorrow Youth Center, a youth nonprofit serving the DMV. She wore many hats in this role; her experience as both educator and actress allow her to support organizations in a unique and dynamic ways, conveying their impact through a storytelling lens. She has served as an educator, administrator, mentor, curriculum writer, and coach, with more than 20 years of experience. She holds degrees from the University of Maryland, and New York University, with certifications in arts integration, trauma informed practices and organizational development. Her approach is passionate, relatable and personalized; She is committed to being part of work that seeks to amplify and improve the quality of life for young people. dcarr.mentormddc@gmail.com
Dr. Jeffrey Kranzler
Dr. Jeffrey Kranzler, Ph.D., LCSW. Dr. Kranzler holds a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University, and a Masters of Social Work and Ph.D. in Social Welfare from The Wurzweiler School of Social Work.
Dr. Kranzler is an expert in the field of Mentoring and has been involved in the field for almost two decades. He started his work in the mentoring program of the Federation of Baltimore and has also worked in mentoring programs focused on underserved youth in Manhattan through the Jewish Board of Children and Family Services. He completed graduate training in the mentoring arm of Project Y.E.S. in Brooklyn, New York.
Continuing his mentoring work in South Florida, Dr. Kranzler received training from Dr. Susan Weinberger, a recipient of a Volunteer Action Award from President Bill Clinton, for her work in mentoring. Under her guidance he conducted successful school-based mentoring initiatives in a large K-12 school serving a large immigrant youth population.
In January of 2014, Dr. Kranzler completed and published his graduate dissertation that studied the impact of a mentoring intervention on the substance use and aggression of a homeless youth population. He has subsequently created multiple school-based mentoring programs, consulted at Covenant House of New York and at Johns Hopkins University’s A-Level Capital Venture Fund.
Dr. Kranzler specializes in supporting and creating mentoring programs for immigrant youth. He has consulted for Soccer Without Borders, The Ethiopian Community Development Council, Lutheran Social Services and more. He has delivered trainings and webinars for The National Mentoring Resource Center affiliates focusing on helping organizations and schools create mentoring programs that effectively serve immigrant youth populations.
Pascha R. Lee
In 2007, Pascha founded Imagine Me Ministries (Imagine Me), a youth development and mentoring organization for girls whose mission is to Inspire Girls to Embrace a ‘Life of Promise’ and mature into dynamic young women through long term mentoring relationships with caring adult women. Pascha has over 22 years of experience in creating and implementing dynamic faith-based, after-school, in-school and community-based programs for women and girls in middle and high schools, churches and communities in Baltimore City and the surrounding areas. In addition, Pascha implemented Imagine Me Thrives at the Thomas J. Waxter Center for Girls through the Department of Juvenile Services and currently serves on the facility’s Advisory Board.
As a West Baltimore native, Pascha is passionate about the social, emotional, spiritual, and academic success of girls in urban environments. She believes that you can’t have success in one area without the other and the foundation of a program’s design must affirm and dignify the life and future of participants regardless of their background. Hence, you will never hear Pascha use the term, “at-risk”. All of humanity is “at risk”. Email Pascha at pascha_mentormddc@imaginemementor.org
Tiana Massaquoi
Mrs. Tiana Massaquoi is a joyful wife, mother, community youth and family advocate, and social change agent. Driven by the strong bonds of family, Tiana is passionate about seeing change in the world around her. Tiana serves with authenticity and courage, advocating for mentoring and often navigating spaces and places where diversity and change are needed. As a lifelong mentor and mentee, Tiana understands the power and potency that mentoring can bring to lives of young people. In addition to her commitment and focus on her home and family, Mr. & Mrs. Victor Massaquoi founded Keep Still Cares Foundation, seeking to build capacity and community for nonprofits focused on health, youth development, and the arts. Through KSC, Tiana shares her more than 20 years experience in youth development, mentoring, community and nonprofit leadership. As a Certified Gallup Strengths Coach and College & Career Readiness Ambassador through the Maryland Out of School Time Network, Tiana’s coaching and consulting are rooted in focusing on accountability, assets awareness, and intentionality. Tiana currently serves in the Frederick community as the Chair of the Education Commission for the City of Frederick, Chair of the Board of Directors, Girls on the Run Mid & Western MD, and Head Girls Varsity Basketball Coach for New Life Christian School in Frederick, MD. Regardless of role, Tiana believes that we all have a responsibility “to encourage a young person, today!”. ta.tiana.mentormddc@keepstillcares.org
Linda Mundy
Pronouns: She/Her
Linda Mundy has worked for mentoring non-profits for over 20 years and is passionate about youth-centered programming. Her varied roles have included communications, marketing, operations, volunteer management, programming, board development and online fundraising. Linda’s grassroots consulting style is a result of hands-on experience, practical education and open curiosity.
Linda has developed mentoring programs from the ground up with youth and young adults to include career exploration, college readiness and networking. She began in the Boys and Girls Club movement which took her to Native American communities, local clubs, and school-based programming. Her greatest joy stems from the many young people she has mentored who have themselves become mentors. Locally, she actively participates in the anti-racism movement as a community organizer. Linda lives in Annapolis with her husband, two teenage sons and cute kitties, He-Man and Skeletor. linda@invigorate.consulting
Shané A. Tate Pimentel
Shané A. Tate Pimentel has served as an educator, organizational leader, program design consultant, and Out–of–School Time program lead in schools, community–based organizations, and intermediaries for the past 20 years. She is a proud Howard University and City University of New York-NYC Teaching Fellows alum. Most importantly, Shané is a committed mentor, advocate and ally for young people and youth work professionals. She currently serves as the Board Chair of the Maryland Out–Of–School Time Network (MOST Network), Chair of the Montgomery County Commission on Children and Youth, founder of Six Tool Solutions educational consulting firm, and volunteers with the NAACP as a Parents Council Representative and with Her Birth Right, a Black Maternal Health & Nursing advocacy organization. She enjoys being top cheerleader for her amazing husband, Yeison and her two children Taylor and Tyler.
Jeannette Simon
Jeannette Simon, Founder/CEO of ANANIZACH LLC, is a 25-year mentoring professional that brings a unique perspective having been a mentor and still is, a corporate and nonprofit program manager, program director, trainer, mentor to program managers, technical assistance provider, program developer, event planner and creator/manager of special projects on the local, state and national level. Couple the experience with a real passion for the work and you have the opportunity to spend time with someone who can help you grow and be successful! japsimon@ananizach.com
Breylon Smith
Pronouns: He/Him
Breylon Smith is an educator and partnership strategist with more than a decade of direct service experience in Durham, NC, Washington, DC, and Alexandria, VA. As founder and principal consultant at Be Better Consulting, LLC, Breylon leverages his education and nonprofit leadership background to design and evaluate youth and community-based organizations. With his experience and expertise, Breylon has supported a number of nonprofit and corporate entities with youth development best practices. As an entrepreneur, Breylon has a passion to empower people and organizations to fulfill their missions. Breylon leads with a sense of care, joy, and professionalism while focusing on best practices to strengthen youth engagement.
Breylon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Middle Grades Education and a master’s degree in public administration from North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC (recognized with honors); he earned a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University in Durham, NC. He is also a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. When he’s not working, Breylon has other entrepreneurial endeavors and enjoys volunteering, sports, coffee shops, and exploring new places and delicious food. In the mix of all of this, Breylon is blessed with a wife and son.
Contact: BreylonSmith@outlook.com