National Mentoring Month Celebration

Register in advance for this event. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

This event is sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Adelphi University, and MENTOR New York.

About the Speaker

Brenda L. Jimenez

As a professional in the non-profit sector, Brenda’s expertise in executive leadership, fund development, board development, and organizational management has supported non-profit Executives and Board of Directors to transform their organizations by increasing their reach and impact for the past 20 years.

Brenda Jiménez is CEO of MENTOR New York, a local affiliate of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership. She was appointed to the position in December 2019 and led the organization through this time of a global pandemic and racial unrest. She has successfully pivoted and expanded services to be responsive to its longtime partners while reaching new partners and expanding its service portfolio by 55% over the first 28 weeks and a 3% revenue growth. Under her leadership, she has increased partner engagement and developed resources, tools, and services that have allowed mentoring programs throughout New York to serve the more than 80,000 young people who have mentors during these challenging and unprecedented times. In 2022, Brenda and the MENTOR New York team are committed to rebuilding the New York state mentoring movement and supporting young people through intentional and new approaches as we continue to navigate a global pandemic and virtual spaces for engagement.

Both Brenda and MENTOR New York were awarded several 2020 Stevie Awards for Women in Business. MENTOR New York received the Silver Stevie Award for Organization of the Year – Government or Non-Profit– 10 or Less Employees. Brenda also received four awards in the silver and bronze in the following categories:

• Silver Stevie Award for Female Innovator of the Year – Government or Non-Profit –10 or Less Employees
• Silver Stevie Award for Woman of the Year – Government or Non-Profit
• Bronze Stevie Award for Female Executive of the Year – Government or Non-Profit –10 or Less Employees
• Bronze Stevie Award for Most Innovative Woman of the Year – Government or Non-Profit

Brenda also has the honor to serve as the co-chair of the MENTOR Affiliate Advisory Council, MAAC, a strategic affiliate leaders council that helps inform, shape, and develop strategies in partnership with MENTOR for the mentoring movement across the nation.

For the five years preceding the appointment to CEO, Brenda was Director of Operations and Growth Strategies for MENTOR New York, where she developed a clear tactical growth strategy that has resulted in the organization successfully deepening its services within the New York City and Long Island communities while expanding services to Upstate New York. Her efforts helped the organization become independent, open an office in Buffalo, NY, expand staff, and raise an additional $2.3 million over the past five years, representing double-digit revenue growth year to year. She has expanded staff capacity and efficiencies and developed quality controls and processes that support the organization’s sustainability. Her efforts established an organization poised for long-term financial and programmatic growth. Her work ensured that an additional 35,000 children across the state were engaged in mentoring relationships during that time.

Before joining MENTOR New York, Brenda worked for Big Brother Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) as an Associate Director of Agency Development, Northeast Region, 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 providing organizational development consulting support to their local affiliates. She helped support national growth strategies, diversity initiatives, local affiliate mergers, and closures.

Brenda Jiménez was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and 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. She 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 the Robert F. Wagner School for Public Service at New York University. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Executive Leadership from The Center of Leadership at The University of Charleston in West Virginia.

Since her days in college, Brenda’s commitment to women’s and children’s issues has driven her service in the community and catalysts to her professional choices.
Brenda volunteers for organizations whose mission she is passionate about. 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). In 2011, she was Vice-Chair to Comité Noviembre 25th Annual Gala.

Brenda has received numerous other recognitions including Comité Noviembre, “Lo Mejor de Nuestra Comunidad”: “The Best in Our Community” Award 2010 and El Diario/LA PRENSA Latinas Destacadas 2004 Award.

Brenda is happily married and has three daughters, Leilah, 31, Bianca, 13, and Sofia, 11. She currently resides in Jersey City, NJ.