Meet the Team
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
Dunkin' & Baskin Robbins Franchisee
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.
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.