MENTOR Announces 2023 Excellence in Mentoring Honorees
Awardees include public officials, a former NFL player, a philanthropist and dedicated mentoring leaders.
BOSTON, January 24, 2023 (Newswire.com) - MENTOR, the nation's unifying champion of the mentoring movement, today announced the 2023 Recipients of the Annual Excellence in Mentoring Awards. The awards will be presented from Jan. 25-27 during the National Mentoring Summit, MENTOR's annual convening that brings together more than 2,000 experts, practitioners, advocates and philanthropic partners and closes out National Mentoring Month, celebrated each January to focus national attention on the value of mentoring.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - William Pitts, Family Engagement Consultant, Life Pieces to Masterpieces, Washington, D.C.
William "Elder Bill" Pitts is a family engagement consultant at Life Pieces to Masterpieces, a nonprofit that uses artistic expression to develop character and leadership, unlock potential, and prepare Black boys and young men to transform their lives and communities.
CORPORATE YOUTH LEADERSHIP AWARD - Pritika Kharkwal, High School Student, Lebanon Trail High School, Frisco, TX
Pritika Kharkwal is a tenth-grade student who participates in Step Up, a nonprofit organization that helps girls define and achieve their unique visions of success.
IMPACTFUL PHILANTHROPY AWARD - Anne M. Naqi, Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer, Equitrans Midstream Corporation; President, Equitrans Midstream Foundation
Anne Naqi is the Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer at Equitrans Midstream Corporation, a role she has held since 2019; President, Equitrans Midstream Foundation; and is Chair of the Board of The Mentoring Partnership of Southwest Pennsylvania, where she has been a board member since 2017.
PUBLIC ELEVATION AWARD: Marques Colston, former New Orleans Saints wide receiver and ambassador for Son of a Saint, Medford, New Jersey
Marques Colston is a Super Bowl champion, inductee to the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame and Pennsylvania and Louisiana Sports Halls of Fame, and an ambassador for Son of a Saint, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of fatherless young males.
PUBLIC SERVICE
The Public Service Award celebrates individuals at both the federal and state/local level as champions in government who support the mission of mentoring.
FEDERAL: The Honorable Don Bacon (Nebraska 02)
Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska serves on the Congressional Youth Mentoring Caucus and co-leads the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth. He is a lead sponsor of the Foster Youth Mentoring Act, has long been a key supporter of the Youth Mentoring Grant, and co-sponsors the Youth Workforce Readiness Act.
STATE & LOCAL: Representative Chynah Tyler (Massachusetts 07 - Suffolk)
Massachusetts State Rep. Chynah Tyler is currently serving her fourth term as a Massachusetts state representative and is the vice chair of the Judiciary Committee and chair of the Black and Latino Caucus. Rep. Tyler champions mentoring issues and works collaboratively with Mass Mentoring Partnership to effectively support the needs of youth in her district.
###
Source: MENTOR
