Leadership Team
Meet our Staff and Board Members!
Our team members are selected from business and collaborative partners. They graciously choose to invest their time and talents, which are evident through leading organizations that embody integrity, compassion, transparency, and a determination to invest in the lives within their reach. They are the fuel, the engine, and every vital piece of what guides our mentoring mission.
Matthew Marcum
Founder/CEO
Matthew has been married to his wife and friend Ashley for 20 years. Their marriage and family of 6 children is their main mission, and extends into the community. Matthew spent 15 years as a registered nurse in hospice care prior to transitioning to develop and direct the mentoring program. From a background of relational isolation and struggle himself, Matthew's heart is made full as he introduces mentors that champion impact in the lives of the students and families they serve. Relationships are everything...
Mark Wells
Development/Community Relations
Mark has a long history of serving in his local community, including being the founder and director of Hands2Hope, where they mobilized over a thousand volunteers to provide service to community members in need. He is also a registered nurse having served in the homecare setting. He has been married to Sarah since 2007, and father to Syler, born in 2018. "Teach and be taught" is his motto, which aligns well with our mentoring mission to lead well and raise up future leaders.
Joelah Marcum
Intern: Program Manager
Joelah comes to Mentoring Partners with a passion to help those in her community. She is a Miami University Quantitative Economics Junior. Prevviously she has volunteered and served as intern for youth advoc
Roger Nienaber
Board Chairperson
Roger has been a technology executive in Cincinnati for the last 20 years. Outside of work, he spends time with his family, coaching youth sports, and playing golf. Mentoring has played a major role in his life and he is passionate about connecting people to learn, grow and do life together.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”
Proverbs 27:17
Neil Thompson
Board Member: HR/Compensation
Neil has a unique heart for "helping those that cannot help themselves." He currently lives that out as the founder and owner of Vibrant Assisted Living, which provides adult services to the developmentally disabled. Their daily mission is to provide the vibrant and meaningful life each of their clients deserve. Neil's heart extends to the needs of students and families that are served at Mentoring Partners of Cincinnati, which is why he brings his talents to our board of advisers. He has two sons, Darian and Dylan Thompson, in which he is well pleased. He holds a Bachelor degree in business from University of Cincinnati and his MBA from Xavier University.
Eric Zins
Board Member: Treasurer
Eric grew up in Cincinnati and later graduated from the University of Cincinnati. He now holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a financial analyst at Bahl & Gaynor Investment Counsel, where he works closely with a variety of clients including local non-profit organizations. He actively serves as a Cincinnati Youth Collaborative one-on-one mentor and strongly believes in the power of mentorship and the role it can play in someone's life. In his free time, you'll likely find Eric on the golf course, rooting on the Bengals or walking his Golden Retriever (Griffey)!
Paul Gillman
Board Member: Vice Chair
Paul has a great passion for the outdoors and has visited and hiked national parks all over the United States. He loves his wife and family foremost, but has a great deal of passion for serving those in need. He has served as a board member for a national academic institution, is a fractional CFO for quality businesses, and brings a lot of integrity to all he does. Mentoring Partners is grateful for his persistent passion, expertise, and commitment to our organization's ongoing pursuit of impact and excellence.
Ron German
Board Member: Business Operations
Ronald (Ron) David German's career spans 48 years working as a business owner, consultant, engineer and sales and marketing rep for the plastic industry. In addition, he also worked bi-vocationally as a youth leader and has pastored 3 churches over a span of 30 years.
His passion is to preach and teach the word of God leading others to a saving knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. He and his wife Peggy are members of Socialville Baptist Church. They love spending time with their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.
Hobbies include fixing/repairing anything mechanical, restoring vintage muscle cars, reading, and gardening/landscaping.
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