Built by two sisters, a mentoring expert and a software engineer.
MentorPRO was created by Jean Rhodes and Nancy McNamara to solve a problem that mentoring programs have faced for decades. The research on what makes mentoring work is clear, and most programs have no practical way to put it into use at scale. The company began with a single question. Could a platform make it easier for programs to do what the research shows actually works?
Jean Rhodes
Co-founderFrank L. Boyden Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring at UMass Boston. Jean has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles on mentoring over three decades, co-authored MENTOR's Elements of Effective Practice, helped establish Centers for Evidence-Based Mentoring in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and edits the Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring.
Nancy McNamara
Co-founder and Chief Executive OfficerComputer scientist and technology entrepreneur. Nancy began her career at Xerox PARC, spent more than a decade at Interleaf in Cambridge, and founded Academic Web Pages in 2002, which has built digital infrastructure for hundreds of universities and academic programs. She holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Ania Sanchez
Chief Operating OfficerAnia leads partnerships and implementation. She brings experience from international companies in retail, cosmetics, technology, and toys, earned her bachelor's degree in business and marketing in Monterrey, Mexico, and completed her MBA at Vanderbilt University.
Toby Jackson
Chief Technology OfficerToby shapes MentorPRO's technical direction and leads product, engineering, and support. He was previously Chief Technology Officer at Mainstay, where he led the conversational AI and outreach platform adopted by universities across the country.
Megyn Jasman
Director of Partner SuccessMegyn works with partners to put mentoring research into practice and reach shared goals for mentees. She is also Assistant Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring at UMass Boston and holds a master's degree in community psychology.
Quentin Johnson
Senior AdvisorQuentin oversees a University of Chicago Summer Institute for talented undergraduates interested in economics and was the first Senior Economics Outreach Specialist at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. He chairs partnership strategy for the PREDOC consortium and serves on the advisory board of the Sadie Collective.
Noah Babbott-Bryan
Research AssociateNoah works on evidence-based interventions for mental health and wellbeing. He earned his degree in psychology and philosophy from Connecticut College and has worked in technology, market research, and behavioral health.
Bryan Chu
Staff Software EngineerBryan has more than eight years of experience building full-stack applications at fintech, insurance, and education startups. He works in TypeScript, React, and Node.js and focuses on scalable architecture and clear, pragmatic engineering.
Gigi Kranjc
Associate EngineerGigi works at the intersection of data, design, and marketing. She graduated from Boston College with a B.S. in management in 2023 and brings a perspective shaped by New Jersey and British Columbia.
Sreshta Rajagopalan
Associate Marketing Manager Co-opSreshta focuses on marketing and brand strategy. She is pursuing a B.S. in Business Administration at Northeastern University's D'Amore-McKim School of Business and has lived and studied in Singapore, London, and Boston.
Amanda Black
Business ManagerAmanda's background is in administration, financial management, and accounting for human services programs and small businesses. She earned a B.A. in history from Westfield State University.
Backed by the agencies that fund rigorous research.
America's Seed Fund SBIR
Phase I and Phase II awards support the development and evaluation of MentorAI and the platform's evidence base.
NIH-funded research
Federally funded trials of the platform's core features run through the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring.
2025 winner
Recognized in the post-secondary learning track of the 2025 Tools Competition.
MentorPRO is woman-owned, U.S.-based, profitable, and supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Universities, youth programs, alumni offices, and workforce programs run their mentoring on it, and we publish our results, including the ones still under review.