Board and Executive Staff

The Executive Director, along with the Board of Directors, manages MentorE Online Youth Services. These talented and accomplished individuals represent business, academia, medicine, law, human services, and philanthropy at the highest levels.

Brad Snyder serves as President of the Board. Brad Snyder is President of New Amsterdam Consulting, Inc. Trained in research methods, adolescent psychology and software pedagogy, Mr. Snyder’s work informs the development of children’s media for industry leaders like Cartoon Network, Discovery Kids and AOL. In addition, New Amsterdam Consulting, Inc., as a subcontractor to the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators, developed and manages the online data collection application for the U.S. Justice Department’s Performance-based Standards (PbS) for Youth Correction and Detention Facilities project, an endeavor that recently won Harvard University’s Innovation in Government Award. Mr. Snyder holds a B.S. in Philosophy from Arizona State University; an M.P.A. in Public Policy from New York University; and an Ed.M. in Human Development Psychology from Harvard University.

John Olson, Esq., serves as Vice President of the Board. Mr. Olson is an attorney in Phoenix, Arizona, practicing transactional and financial law. He has been actively involved with Phoenix Youth at Risk for the past 10 years as a mentor, volunteer, and board member. Mr. Olson is a graduate of Northwestern University and Harvard Law School.

Jaclyn D. Foutz, Esq., serves as Treasurer of the Board.  Ms. Foutz is an attorney in Phoenix and currently owns and manages Human Tribe Project, LLC, an internet start-up company.  Ms. Foutz is an active volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters and has worked with Crisis Nursery and the Children's Law Center.  Ms. Foutz recently worked at the law firm of Gallagher & Kennedy, PA, the United States Senate and the Arizona Supreme Court.  She received her J.D. from the College of Law at Arizona State University and her B.S.B.A from the University of Arizona.

Francesca Godi serves as Secretary of the Board. Francesca Godi began her career as a transactional attorney in capital markets and securities regulation.  Most recently she has managed real estate investments and development in the Valley as well as New Mexico and Texas.  Ms. Godi values participation in her community and is a member of the Italian Chamber of Commerce West-Phoenix Chapter and the board of directors of her HOA as well as an alumnus of Valley Leadership's Class of XXIX.  Ms. Godi is also active in her local arts community as a founding member of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art Contemporaries group and as a member of the Scottsdale League for the Arts.  Ms. Godi holds a B.S. in Political Science and a B.A. in Italian from Santa Clara University and a J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law.

Jim Flach is a Board Member. Jim Flach has a held a wide range of positions in the communications and software industries in which he worked for over thirty years. A partner with Accel Partners for fourteen years, Mr. Flach has been Chairman or CEO of many telecommunications and software companies including Agile Networks (Lucent), Netlink (Cabletron), Sentient Networks (Cisco), Teleos Communications (Madge Networks), Vivo Software, Redback Networks, Walmart.com, and Terraspring. Previously, Mr. Flach was Vice President of Intel where he was General Manager of the Personal Computer Enhancement Division. He is also a Founder and Chair of the Office Please Foundation, which provides information technology to charitable organizations. Mr. Flach has been active in several universities as a Curriculum Advisor for graduate programs. He also heads the David Flach Foundation for Recovery, focused on developing new approaches for youth in recovery from substance abuse. Mr. Flach holds a B.S. degree in Physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a M.S. degree in Applied Mathematics from Rochester Institute of Technology.

James S. Gough, M.D., is a Board Member. Dr. Gough has maintained a private psychiatric practice in Scottsdale, Arizona, since 1975. From 1975 to 1984, he served as Director, Mental Health Services at Arizona State University. In that capacity, Dr. Gough supervised the care of more than 8,000 students, earning national recognition for his innovate work with more than 1,500 women suffering from eating disorders. An expert in sports psychology, Dr. Gough is currently the Team Psychiatrist for the St. Louis Rams. His expertise in addressing mental health concerns of youth and performance enhancement contributes immeasurably to the goals of MentorE Online Youth Services.

Molly Chase is a Board Member. Ms. Chase is the Executive Producer of Cartoon Network New Media, where she oversees production of content and games as well as distribution across digital platforms. In this capacity Ms. Chase has extended the reach of Cartoon Network shows into the online, mobile and games space. Cartoon Network’s websites include CartoonNetwork.com, AdultSwim.com, Spanish-language CartoonNetworkYA.com, and preschool site TickleU.com. Ms. Chase oversaw a recent event in support of Codename: Kids Next Door that earned a 2005 Emmy nomination. A long time advocate for mentoring and youth programs, she has volunteered for numerous programs through the Atlanta Public Schools, Hands on Atlanta, and Emmaus House. Ms. Chase is a graduate of the University of Georgia.

John Mistler is an Honorary Member. Mr. Mistler is the Phoenix Arizona Market President, of First Community Bank. Before joining First Community Bank, Mistler started in banking in 1985 at United Bank of Arizona (now Citibank) as corporate sales officer, focusing on cash management services, loan originations and deposit growth. He quickly expanded his responsibilities to manage sales as director of sales at National Bank of Arizona and, before joining First Community, was executive vice president for Bank of the Southwest. Mistler's community involvement includes being a member of the Phoenix Thunderbirds, Fiesta Bowl Committee, and Arizona State Alumni Association board of directors. Mistler earned All-America and All Pac-10 honors in 1980 at Arizona State and was named the most valuable player at the 1978 Garden State Bowl. Following his collegiate career, he was selected by the New York Giants in the 3rd round of the 1981 NFL Draft where played for four seasons.

Lindsay Schube, Esq., is a Board Member. Ms. Schube is an attorney in Scottsdale practicing mainly in the areas of Real Estate and Land Use Law. Ms. Schube worked for the Sun Devil Sports Network at the Arizona State University Athletic Department prior to her Law School Education. She received her Bachelor of Science with a major in Marketing from Arizona State University and her degree of Juris Doctor from the College of Law at Arizona State University. Lindsay and her husband Evan have two daughters.

Evan Schube is a Board Member.  Mr. Schube has worked in the real estate development business for eight years.  He has focused on acquisitions, land use and entitlements.  Mr. Schube holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in urban planning from Rollins College and Arizona State University, respectively.  He is currently beginning law school at Phoenix School of Law.  Evan is married to Lindsay and has two daughters.

Laura French is a Board Member. Laura Franco French is a native Phoenician with strong ties to the Valley’s Hispanic community.  Laura works at the Arizona Office of Tourism on U.S./Mexico border issues and AOT’s Tourism Sustainability initiative.  After attending A.S.U., Laura moved to Washington D.C. to pursue a graduate degree in international relations at Georgetown University.  In D.C. Laura worked with the National Council of La Raza, the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights group, and the International Republican Institute, a non-profit organization that promotes democracy worldwide.  Laura holds an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University and worked at CNN in New York and Atlanta prior to returning to Phoenix. Laura is a member of Valley Leadership class 29, Vice Chair of the Phoenix Women’s Commission, a member of the Arizona-Mexico Commission and the Border Trade Alliance.  Laura volunteers with the Georgetown Club of Phoenix and serves on the Arizona Campaign Leadership Team for McCain for President.

Dennis Newcombe is a Board Member. Dennis Newcombe is a Planning Consultant for the Law office of Beus Gilbert PLLC. Mr. Newcombe volunteers with many community organizations as Tempe Friends of Rio Salado, the East Valley Partnership Economic Development Committee and the City of Phoenix Encanto Village Planning Committee. He is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University teaching Practical Applications of Zoning as well. Mr. Newcombe has a B.S.P. degree from Arizona State University School of Planning and Landscape Architecture. 

Edward Madden is a Board Member.  Edward Madden has worked for General Mills for the past twelve years.  Throughout Mr. Madden's entire career, he has worked within the Sales and Marketing divisions.  Prior to residing in Arizona, Mr. Madden has spent time working in Massachusetts, Georgia and Minnesota.  He attended Bentley University in Waltham, MA with a major in Marketing.  Mr. Madden currently resides in Scottsdale, AZ with his wife Laura.

Tiffany Mudric Ahlers is a Board Member.  Mrs. Ahlers began her career in social work in 1995 as a case worker for Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Flagstaff, Arizona.  In 1996, she moved to Baltimore, Maryland to work for BBBS for Central Maryland, where she worked as Program Coordinator and then as the Metropolitan Casework Supervisor in Baltimore City.  She has also worked in the technology field as project manager for an online design and production firm.  Upon returning to her home state of Arizona in 2001, Mrs. Ahlers joined the staff of Govornor Jane Hull, who appointed her Director of Govornor's Office of Volunteerism. She also volunteered her time as a Big Sister to a young woman in Phoenix.  In 2006, Mrs. Ahlers moved to Boston, MA and continued her work in the non-profit sector working for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  She received a B.S. in Liberal Studies with a focus on psychology from Northern Arizona University and a M.A. in Legal and Ethical Studies from the University of Baltimore.  Mrs. Ahlers is currently a Senior Training Specialist for Hitachi Consulting and lives in Phoenix with her husband James and son Henry David.

Kiersten Gjerstad is the Program Supervisor for MentorE.  Ms. Gjerstad graduated from the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication.  Throughout her collegiate carrer she served as vice president and president of the student government and organized many volunteer opportunities for students.  She has been a part of MentorE since 2006 working with the at-risk youth participants in the Mesa computer lab.