Corporate Leaders Recognized for Investments in Mentoring Youth

WASHINGTON, D.C. –   Joshua DuBois, special assistant to the President and executive director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, opened the Corporate Leadership session at the 2012 National Mentoring Summit by recounting that more than 100 companies signed onto the Corporate Leadership Challenge issued by The First Lady of the United States at last year’s inaugural Summit.  

An invigorating and inspiring selection of corporate leaders spoke eloquently about the critical importance of youth mentoring to their corporate culture. Nancy Altobello, vice chair, People, for Ernst & Young; Paula Boggs, executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of Starbucks; Melissa Buchanan, senior vice president, National Volunteerism manager of Wells Fargo; Gail Gershon, director, Employee Engagement, the Gap Foundation; Kerry Sullivan, president of the Bank of America Charitable Foundation; and Bradley Yates, director of Volunteerism for AT&T were among the speakers and companies selected to share their metric-driven, evidence-based and outcome-driven practices.   

The following corporations also received the Corporate Mentoring Challenge Recognition Citations: AT&T, Bank of America, Bank of NY Mellon, Beiersdorf (Nivea), Coca-Cola, Cargill, Enterprise, Ernst & Young, Gap Inc, Starbucks, Viacom and Wells Fargo.

“Through skill-based volunteerism, employees serving as mentors and financial investments, these corporations are modeling and leading the way for others in the private sector,” said David Shapiro, CEO of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, a host organization of the National Mentoring Summit. 

The Presenting Sponsor of the Summit is Viacom.  Denise White, Viacom’s executive vice president, Human Resources and Administration and a MENTOR board member, launched a Mentor in a Box toolkit at the end of the session. This toolkit is user-friendly, inspires action and is based on MENTOR’s research-supported Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring™. In addition, it provides a platform for State Mentoring Partnerships and local programs to deliver the necessary hands-on technical assistance in conjunction with the product. White states: "Viacom is proud to invest in the country’s youth through our leading and high-quality mentorship opportunities. In partnership with MENTOR, Viacom has launched Mentor in a Box to guide other companies on developing sustainable programs that leave a strong and lasting impact on the lives of young people and provide employees with meaningful volunteer experiences."

As a Supporting Sponsor of the Summit, Bank of America continues to invest in preparing America’s youth for workforce success through mentoring. In addition, Bank of America is the Founding Sponsor of 1000 Women for Mentoring.  

“There is an unmet need for programs in our communities to help combat the dropout rate and provide pathways for young people to gain the knowledge and skills that will put them on the road to stable employment and meaningful lives,” said Kerry Sullivan, president of the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. “In response, we’re pleased to support 1000 Women for Mentoring to help create deep, lasting change not only in young people’s lives and the economic health of communities but also in the lives of the women who answer this call.”

Already, this National Mentoring Month, several corporations were recognized at The White House by the President of the United States with the MLK Drum Majors of Service Awards for their commitment to mentoring. These companies include: Bank of America, Deloitte, JP Morgan Chase, State Street Corporation and Viacom, and each generously supports MENTOR, its State Mentoring Partnerships and the youth mentoring movement.

Other company representatives added to the importance of youth mentoring within their organizations.  

"We know that strong mentoring programs foster the growth and development of our youth and help us identify and invest in the future leaders of America's workforce. We're proud to be part of this important Summit and to encourage private sector investment in youth mentoring programs nationwide," stated Daisey Holmes, president, BNY Mellon Foundation. BNY Mellon Foundation also is a Supporting Sponsor of The National Mentoring Summit.

"Within Ernst & Young, we understand the value of mentors and expect that all of our leaders will mentor and coach others inside and outside the firm. The White House Corporate Mentoring Challenge asks us to take our core competency — mentoring and coaching — and use it to help young people from disadvantaged communities achieve their potential. We're proud of the thousands of Ernst & Young people who volunteer as mentors today, and we're committed to expanding that number by growing College MAP, our signature volunteer program, and by strengthening our relationship with MENTOR and its various state and local mentoring organizations," said Nancy Altobello, Americas vice chair, People, Ernst & Young LLP.

MENTOR, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Harvard School of Public Health, the U.S. Department of Justice – Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and United Way Worldwide comprise the Host Committee for the Summit. In addition, 20 youth-serving partner organizations are collaborating on the event.

The National Mentoring Summit is being held Tuesday, January 24, and Wednesday, January 25, at The Fairmont in Washington, D.C.  The Summit’s Presenting Sponsor is Viacom.  Bank of America and BNY Mellon are Supporting Sponsors of the event.