Chief Executive Officer
Rebecca Ackerman serves as MentorHub’s chief executive officer. Prior to MentorHub, Rebecca served as the chief impact officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee (BBBSMT) where she focused on helping youth and adults realize their potential by expanding access to impactful mentoring relationships that support the measurable achievement of participant-driven wellness, education, and employment goals and outcomes.
With over 20 years of experience in education, first as a grades 5-12 teacher and administrator in urban and suburban schools, and then as a founding member of the Tennessee Charter School Incubator and Center, Rebecca knows firsthand the impact equitable access to quality education, evidence-based interventions, and mentorship can have on a person’s success in life. That is why, as chief programs officer at the Tennessee Charter School Center, Rebecca led the development and implementation of charter school incubation and human capital initiatives that contributed to the creation of over a dozen new charter schools in Memphis and Nashville — currently serving thousands of students.
Today, Rebecca’s work centers on convening researchers, practitioners, and community members to advance tools and approaches that create equitable and unfettered access to the evidenced-based mental healthcare and mentoring support people need to thrive. Rebecca holds a B.S. from the City University of New York, an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University, and an M.Ed. from Bank Street College of Education.
Data Privacy Officer
Debbie Reynolds is a well-regarded technologist, thought-leader, and advisor to multinational corporations for handling global data privacy, cyber data breach response, and complex cross-functional data-driven projects. Ms. Reynolds is a published author, public speaker, and top media presence about global data privacy, data protection, and emerging technology issues. She was named to the Global Top 20 CyberRisk Communicators by The European Risk Policy Institute in 2020.
Project Coordinator for the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring
University of Massachusetts Boston
Jordan Cherry is the Project Coordinator for the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She is dedicated to community-based solutions for issues of inequality and is a strong advocate for scaffolding social support in individuals who are positioned in intersections of marginalization. Ms. Cherry is a current undergraduate student at the University of Virginia double majoring in Psychology and Medical Anthropology. She hopes to pursue a graduate degree in clinical community psychology and is excited for the opportunity to unite her passions for advocacy and community-led solutions to help MentorHub foster social settings to promote well-being in target populations.
Project Coordinator for the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring
UMass Boston
Benlina Aier is a Project Coordinator for the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring at UMass Boston, and assists the MentorHub team with their research projects. She is passionate about helping communities create safe, equitable, accessible, and empowering spaces that facilitate growth for young people and their families. Benlina received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from DePaul University, and a Master of Education in Human Development Counseling from Vanderbilt University. She is experienced in intervention-based research and program development, with an interest in building youth-focused, community-based mental health initiatives that are fully accessible to the general public.
