About Us
VISION:
Each young person in Texas has access to the supportive relationships and social capital they need to become thriving, productive and engaged citizens.
Why Mentoring?
Problem – 1 in 3 young people grow up without a mentor
Impact – With a mentor, youth facing risks are:
- 55% more likely to be enrolled in college
- 78% more likely to volunteer in the community
- 130% as likely to hold a leadership position in a club or sports team
- 52% less likely to skip a day of school
- 82% more likely to participate regularly in sports or extra curricular activities
Why Now?
- There is a mental health crisis among our youth with the U.S. Surgeon General urging immediate action to address it
- During the pandemic, roughly 200,000 young people lost a parent/guardian/caregiver
- Technology continues to turn us away from each other, increasing loneliness and isolation among our young people
- Mentoring unites us and is a key response to these issues
Our Role
MENTOR Texas strives to close the mentoring gap by:
- Improving mentoring program quality
- Recruiting and supporting more adults to mentor
- Scaling effective programs and innovations through data collection and reporting
- Fostering collaborations to transform systems
- Influencing public policy and increasing philanthropic support through local movement building
Values
We are youth-centered
Youth are co-creators
and beneficiaries
of our work with their voices informing how we implement our services.
We are inclusive
We serve all within
the mentoring community
with varying abilities,
identities and
backgrounds.
We are community-led
We create intentional, reciprocal partnerships within the communities we serve with relationships serving as the foundation for our work.
We are healing-centered
We promote healing-centered engagement. We advance positive, transformative approaches that honor and respect youth’s life experiences and intersectional identities.
We are transparent
We build trust through
open communication and nurturing a culture of collaboration.
We are data-informed
We leverage proven practices
to strengthen quality,
innovation and impact
in our work.
Leadership and Board
Lauren Love
Founding President & CEO
Lauren assumed the role of President & CEO in April 2023 to spearhead the launch and growth of MENTOR Texas, bringing 20 years of cross-sector experience in the nonprofit and private sectors. Most recently, she held chief executive roles at two other nationally federated youth organizations serving North Texas, Camp Fire First Texas and Project Transformation North Texas. Prior to that, Lauren led mental health departments for community-based nonprofits providing trauma-informed services to children, youth, and families, including Momentous Institute and The Family Place.
Earlier in her career, Lauren spent over 5 years in the private sector, working for preK-12 educational technology companies such as Amplify and Pearson. She coordinated the creation and implementation of the Texas Kindergarten Readiness System (now Texas Kindergarten Entry Assessment) and served as account manager for the Strategic Data Project at the Harvard Center for Education Policy Research. Lauren also has early career experience in SEL curriculum development and consultation for early childhood professionals and individual and group counseling for children and adults as an LPC-Intern.
Mitzi Stoute-Faniola – Chair, Board of Directors
Mitzi Stoute-Faniola has over 12 years of experience in state agency work and as an effective legislative staffer at the Texas Capitol, where she served as Chief of Staff for more than 8 years for two State Representatives. After her time there, she transitioned her skills to the Boys & Girls Club movement, leading the Texas Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs for over 5 years. As an accomplished advocate and expert in government relations who has cultivated a diverse network of statewide connections and relationships, Mitzi recently established an advocacy and legislative strategy consulting firm. In addition to her role with MENTOR Texas, Mitzi serves on the Department of State Health Services Youth Camp Advisory Council and is a Career Accelerator Instructor with Girls with Impact.
MENTOR Texas Board of Directors
- Denise Barkhurst, CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters South Texas (Research & Evaluation Chair)
- Jenna Courtney, CEO, Texas Partnership for Out of School Time – TXPOST
- Mitzi Stoute Faniola, Nonprofit & Legislative Consulting Strategist (Board Chair, Advocacy Chair)
- Walter Hull, Co-Area Director-TEXAS, U.S. Dream Academy
- Roxanne Jones, President & CEO, United Ways of Texas
- Jayant (Jay) Kacholiya, Senior Vice President, Fidelity Investments (Fund Development Chair)
- Julie McCarty, Director, Community Investments, Spurs Sports & Entertainment
- Lisa Proctor, Director, Community & Public Affairs, Fluor (Governance Chair)