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About Us

Guilford Youth Mentoring is a school-based mentoring program. We match caring adult mentors with Guilford students in grades K-12 at all seven of the Guilford Public Schools. Our mentoring pairs meet at school, during school throughout the academic year. Some mentor/student pairs stay together from elementary school until graduation from high school.

Meet The Team

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Lisa Ott

Program
Coordinator

Lisa Ott, a graduate of Guilford Schools, received her Masters in Teaching from Connecticut College and worked as Youth Program Coordinator for Tri-Town Youth Services before taking time to be with her children.  She and her husband, David, have three children:  Emily, Peter and Danielle. While helping to coordinate Guilford Youth Mentoring, she also volunteers with Guilford DAY, encouraging youth empowerment.  She loves animals, reading, travel, being outdoors, and boats.

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Sheila Shay

Assistant
Coordinator
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Lisa MacDougald

Program
Administrator

After graduating from Brown University, Lisa worked for several years in the financial services industry developing program trading systems for both Morgan Stanley and, later, Greenwich Capital Markets. After moving to the Shoreline area and starting a family, she worked as a part-time database programmer for a biomaterials company. She has always been excited by educational and community environments, whether it was arranging for interviews as the Brown University Alumni Schools Area Chair, teaching martial arts, playing saxophone in the Guilford and Branford Town Bands,  serving as the President of the Temple Beth Tikvah Sisterhood, or, most recently, volunteering as a mentor herself. Lisa holds black belts in several martial arts forms, is an avid tennis player, and lives in Madison with her husband Joe, her three college/grad school aged children, and two over-active golden-doodles. She is very excited to be part of the program.

Sheila  is a proud Boston College graduate, holding degrees in both English and Women’s Studies. After an extensive career in Media and Advertising spanning Boston and Connecticut, Sheila chose to step away from her professional life to devote more time to her children. She, alongside her husband Andy, made Guilford their home 17 years ago, and they are the proud parents of three wonderful children: Logan, Griffin, and Everly. When she's not busy shuttling her children to various dance and sports activities, Sheila enjoys passionately supporting her husband's lacrosse team at Yale. As she embarks on a new journey with the Youth Mentoring team, Sheila is overjoyed and deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the invaluable work this program carries out within the community.

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2024-2025

Elisa Milano - President

Walter Corbiere

Carmine Fresa

Laura Griffith - Treasurer

Dawn Jackson

Simona Nerney

Mike Regan 

Keiler Snow

Sarah Widlitz - Secretary

Amanda Windhurst

Mission

The Guilford Youth Mentoring, Inc Board is an all-volunteer group and is responsible for raising the money required to fund all other expenses involved with the program. The major expense categories include: 

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  • Basic Mentor Training

  • Advanced Mentor Training

  • Staff Training

  • Mentor & Mentee Support and Retention

  • Resources for Students and Mentors

  • Technology for program

  • Mentor Recruitment

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They also act as an advisory sounding board, provide experienced mentors for training sessions, create programming to promote the program, help produce recruitment materials and raise funds for our scholarship program.

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