Not Your Typical Tech Bros: A Mentoring Platform Built on Research

Jean Rhodes is the Frank L. Boyden Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Evidence-Based mentoring at UMass Boston. She has devoted her career to understanding and improving Mentoring relationships, publishing over 250 peer-reviewed articles on the topic over the past three decades and has worked tirelessly to disseminate this work. This includes co-authoring the National Mentoring Partnership’s Elements of Effective Practice, which has been downloaded by more than 10 million practitioners worldwide, helping to establish Centers for Evidence-Based Mentoring in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and creating the popular Chronicle of Evidence-Based mentoring.

Nancy founded Academic Web Pages in 2002. Previously, she worked for The Worx Group, as a Senior Application Developer, where she engineered internet solutions, and at OffRoad Capital as a Senior Programmer. For more than a decade, she worked at Interleaf, Inc. in Cambridge, MA, as a software developer, and before that at Xerox PARC in Palo Alto, CA. She has a B.S. in Computer Science from University of California, Santa Barbara.

Ania is passionate about marketing, developing products, and consumer attraction and retention. With previous experience at renowned international companies in the retail, cosmetics, tech, and toy Industries, she is now our Director of Product Success. Born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, Ania graduated with her bachelor’s in business and marketing prior to completing her master’s in business administration at Vanderbilt University.

As Chief Technology Officer at MentorPRO, Toby Jackson shapes the company’s technical vision, leading product development, engineering, and support teams to deliver innovative, scalable mentoring solutions. Before joining MentorPRO, Toby made a significant impact as Chief Technology Officer at Mainstay, where he spearheaded product innovation, engineering excellence, and customer success for a rapidly growing EdTech leader. In this role, he was instrumental in advancing Mainstay’s conversational AI and outreach platform, driving adoption at top universities nationwide and setting new standards for student engagement technology.

Gigi is enthusiastic about the intersection of data, design, and marketing. With a diverse background that spans both New Jersey and British Columbia, Canada, she brings a unique, global perspective to her work. Gigi graduated with a B.S. in management from Boston College in 2023, where she honed her skills in strategic thinking and innovative problem-solving.

Alex works with the MentorPRO team on research and product development. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Virginia in 2020, specializing in supportive accountability for technology-delivered interventions. Her dissertation focused on how individuals with mental health challenges and their loved ones can be motivated to seek treatments that work. She is excited to work with the MentorPRO team to improve access to mental health, wellness, and education apps that work.

Megyn helps put our translation of mentoring research into action. She works closely with our partners to reach the shared goal of improving outcomes for mentees. Megyn is also the Assistant Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring at the University of Massachusetts Boston, working with Dr. Jean Rhodes to investigate how the mentoring field can be revolutionized to best support today‘s youth. Megyn has a master’s degree in community psychology to understand how community-based programs can help bridge gaps in services and opportunities.

Bryan is a staff software engineer with over eight years of experience building full-stack applications at fintech, insurance, and education startups. He works primarily with TypeScript, React, and Node.js, focusing on designing scalable architectures and improving developer workflows to help teams deliver faster with fewer issues.

He enjoys solving complex problems through simple, pragmatic solutions and mentoring engineers to build with clarity and intent. Outside of work, Bryan rides his electric unicycle through New York City, where he finds a familiar rhythm between balance, flow, and focus.

Arjun is a senior software engineer at MentoPRO. They have worked in a multitude of different disciplines, including academic science, adult learning, sustainable commerce, and software engineering. Arjun also was a founder for an adaptive Learning Management System called polyPodia, and is thrilled to be back in the edTech space. They aim to deliver beautiful, user-focused software that enhances and extends the relationship between a mentor and mentee so that these crucial relationships can have the greatest impact on educational outcomes. 

Mia serves as MentorPRO’s Product Manager, transforming evidence into action through MentorPRO Academy’s training and resources. She earned her B.A. in psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2025, where she joined the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring as a Research Assistant during her final semester and has since advanced to the role of Lab Manager. Mia is passionate about addressing disparities in mental health and education, and believes that mentoring is a powerful pathway to advancing equity in these fields.

Ramya works with the MentorPRO team on conducting research and disseminating results. She is a rising 5th year PhD student in clinical psychology at American University, specializing in using digital tools to increase the specificity and cultural responsiveness of treatment interventions. Her research program is at the intersection of affective science, dissemination and implementation, and culture. She is excited to work with the MentorPRO team to understand factors that enhance the relationships and outcomes of peer-mentoring, especially for marginalized individuals, and more generally to increase access to evidence-based tools to support college student success.

Quentin oversees an innovative University of Chicago Summer Institute designed to identify and support talented undergraduate students from a broad range of backgrounds interested in the study of economics. Prior to joining, he developed and managed outreach and recruitment for interns, research assistants, and economists as the first-ever Senior Economics Outreach Specialist for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors Board. Quentin helps to create strategic partnerships with colleges, universities, professional and public organizations to motivate students and encourage them to study and pursue economics as a career field. He is the committee chair for partnership strategy for Pathways to Research and Doctoral Careers (PREDOC), a consortium of universities and research institutions that aims to foster a talented and inclusive population in the quantitative social sciences. He also serves on the advisory board for the Sadie Collective, an organization dedicated to addressing the critical lack of Black women in economics and related fields.

Desireé has extensive expertise in mentoring, program management, curriculum development, and professional development. As the former Director of Training and Product Design at MENTOR, she played a pivotal role in driving the organization’s vision for quality training development and product design, ensuring best practices in adult learning theory and instructional design. Her leadership led to the launch of the impactful Black and Brown Girls’ Mentoring Movement. An international trainer and facilitator, Desireé’s reach spans restorative justice, youth voice, critical mentoring, and supporting college students in finding meaningful mentoring opportunities, inspiring and empowering individuals across the globe through her commitment to fostering positive change in communities through wellness and mentoring.

Amanda’s background is in administration, financial management, and accounting for human services programs and small businesses. Amanda earned a B.A. in history in 2000 from Westfield State University. Amanda lives in the Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts where she enjoys drawing/painting, swimming/running, cooking/baking, and gardening.

Chris helps MentorPRO through his tireless marketing, prospecting, outreach, data research, and sales. His key focus is on the college and post-secondary markets. A Boston native, Chris graduated from Indiana University Bloomington.