David Shapiro

David Shapiro is the CEO of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, the unifying national champion for expanding quality mentoring relationships for young people. For more than 25 years, MENTOR has helped build and serve the mentoring field by providing a public voice; developing and delivering resources to mentoring programs nationwide; and promoting quality for mentoring through evidence-based standards, innovative research and essential tools. Under Shapiro’s leadership, MENTOR’s efforts to build capacity and scale innovation within the mentoring movement have been highlighted by the Social Impact Exchange, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. During his tenure, MENTOR launched In Real Life, a national mentoring public awareness campaign, with the support of the NBA and has worked extensively with the Obama Administration on the mentoring component of My Brother’s Keeper. In addition, the U.S Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention selected MENTOR to establish and lead the National Mentoring Resource Center. MENTOR’s 2014 report The Mentoring Effect found that 1 in 3 young people are reaching adulthood without the benefit of a mentor. With the vision that every young person must have the supportive relationships they need to grow and develop into thriving, productive, and engaged adults, MENTOR’s mission is to fuel the quality and quantity of mentoring relationships and ultimately close that gap. In collaboration with its national network of affiliate Mentoring Partnerships and more than 5,000 mentoring programs and volunteer centers in all 50 states, MENTOR incorporates advocacy, raises public awareness, mobilizes grassroots supporters, provides training, and bridges research to practice while working across the private, public and nonprofit sectors to ensure that young people have the support they need through mentoring relationships. Shapiro was previously the CEO of MENTOR’s Massachusetts affiliate, Mass Mentoring Partnership (MMP). During his tenure, MMP launched Champions of Mentoring at Fenway Park, Highland Street AmeriCorps Ambassadors of Mentoring, Mass Mentoring Counts and the Bill Russell Mentoring Grants Program. MMP grew by 400 percent, increased state funding for mentoring, attracted federal funding and distributed almost $1 million in financial assistance, capacity building, and match activities to mentoring programs. The number of young people matched increased by almost 50 percent during Shapiro’s seven years at MMP. Shapiro’s experience includes leadership positions with the U.S. Golf Association Foundation’s 10-year, $50 million grant-making initiative and the American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay. He chairs the board of the Mass Nonprofit Network and serves as a volunteer leader with a variety of nonprofits, including America’s Promise Alliance, Common Impact, and the Institute for Non-Profit Practice. He was selected for the Barr Foundation Fellowship. Shapiro is a husband, father of two sons, and mentor.