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Our Mission

Lifting generations around the world from poverty to self-reliance and economic prosperity.

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Our History

Since its inception in 1990, Mentors International has transformed the lives of millions in some of the world’s most impoverished regions. We are dedicated to empowering individuals and families to break the cycle of generational poverty through our mentoring programs. Through strategic mergers and partnerships, we’ve become one of the largest mentoring organizations with reach on four continents, dedicated to fostering self-reliance and helping families move from poverty to prosperity.

Board of Directors

Elizabeth Mumford

Chairman of The Board

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Liz Mumford is an honors graduate of Brigham Young University with a double major in Early Childhood & Elementary Education and membership in Kappa Omicron Nu. She currently serves in an elected position as Vice- President of the Davis School District Board of Education. She has worked for International Language Programs developing curriculum for second language acquisition, as well as the LDS Church Educational System and as an educator in the Davis School District. She serves as a managing trustee for the Bertin Family Foundation along with being active in church and civic roles.

Mumford has led community councils and parent organizations in local schools and has volunteered for many years with the Boy Scouts of America and Mentors International. Mumford finds her greatest work and joy is in raising four sons with her husband Russell. She is a committed advocate for quality education and creating opportunities for women to become self-reliant and strengthen their families in developing countries.

Daniel R. Gunnell

Executive Board Member

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Daniel R. Gunnell is an oil and gas entrepreneur and operator. His oil and gas experience covers Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, but primarily focused in Utah. He has done deals and joint ventures with many industry leaders such as Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:APC), Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE:CHK), Southwestern Energy Co. (NYSE:SWN), Newfield Exploration Company (NYSE:NFX), Crescent Point Energy Corp. (NYSE:CPG), Fidelity Exploration and Production Company (NYSE:MDU), Clayton Williams Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWEI), Petro-Hunt, LLC, Yates Petroleum, Armstrong Oil and Gas, H&L Operating, Laddex Ltd, and others. Over the past few years I have leased and acquired in excess of 1,000,000 acres of oil and gas property and has successfully negotiated the acquisitions from Encana Corporation (NYSE:ECA), Talisman (NYSE:TLM), PetroCanada-Suncor (NYSE:SU), Patara, Fidelity Exploration and Production Company (NYSE:MDU).

Formerly Chairman of the Board of Directors for Mentors International. He is involved heavily in student mentoring and entrepreneurship as a Founder in Brigham Young University’s Center for Technology and Entrepreneurship.

Active Investor in start-ups, property and real-estate holdings. Served an LDS church mission in Puerto Rico and speaks fluent Spanish.

A graduate from BYU where he received academic honors and participated in varsity athletics. He and his wife, Mary, have eight children.

Jed Stevenson

Executive Board Member

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Jed Stevenson joins the Board of Directors, bringing with him a love for humanity and a great desire to give back by helping others achieve self-reliance. His experience and influence, combined with his energy, will bless our organization in the years to come. Just a few of Jed Stevenson’s many accomplishments include founding the Academia West, a premier charter school management company. He co-founded One West Construction & Development. He is a member of the Utah State Bar Association and chairman of the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools. He is a graduate of Weber State University and the California Western School of Law. Most importantly, he is married to his wife, Misti and together they have five children.

Curtis Oscarson

Executive Board Member

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Curtis Oscarson was a co-founder of Kunzler Bean & Adamson, PC, a boutique corporate law firm in Salt Lake City that serves businesses and investment funds across the U.S. He has also held key strategic, finance, operating, structuring and management advisory roles in lower middle market businesses including:

- Chairman of the Board of EPIS, Inc. (acquired by Riverside Partners and Energy Exemplar, LLC, where he continues as a Board participant), a simulation software company serving the power and utilities sector.

- Member of the Board of Medical Review Institute of America, LLC (acquired by Summit Partners), a medical and clinical resource company that provides prior authorization, appeal reviews and claims intelligence to health plans, pharmacy benefit managers, TPA’s, etc.

- Investor and Member of the Board of Simply NUC, Inc. (received outside investment from Elan Growth Partners), the market leader in customized mini-computer solutions.

- Investor and Member of the Board of Craftsman Industries, Inc., a premium, boutique provider of design, production, and install of custom cabinetry and woodwork.

- Founder and President of Industry 219, Inc., a boutique advisory and angel investing firm.

Curtis began his career as a corporate associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C. in Silicon Valley and at Cooley LLP. Curtis graduated cum laude from Cornell Law School, and magna cum laude from Brigham Young University in Economics and Business Management, where he was a Hinckley scholar.

Steve Andersen

Executive Board Member

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Steve is a serial entrepreneur. His early career experience in retail operations resulted in a desire to create products that are user-friendly, operationally-oriented, and scalable across geographies. Steve has traveled worldwide and has a passion for using technology to empower entrepreneurs throughout the world. He was an early supporter of Elevate Global and served as the Chairman of Board prior to Mentors International’s acquisition of Elevate Global.

Steve’s commitment to supporting micro entrepreneurs through education, mentoring, and technology is deep and personal. He is grateful to be the son of a teacher and the recipient of life-changing mentorship during his own entrepreneurial journey. He sees the immense potential of every entrepreneur to build a better life while creating jobs and economic growth.

David Moon

Executive Board Member

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Prior to its merger with Mentors International, David C. Moon was one of the founders and executive director of Cambodia Job Foundation, a non-profit organization that has provided mentoring, education opportunities, and help for small business entrepreneurs in Cambodia for over 10 years. Before that, he and his wife served as mission leaders for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cambodia. Mr. Moon graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science from Brigham Young University. His career in software development and venture capital began as a computer programmer for WordPerfect. He was the Chief Technology Officer and a member of the board of directors prior to the company’s sale to Novell. He is a general partner at EsNet, Ltd., a private equity firm in Provo, has managed its venture investments in the technology sector, and was the Chairman of the Board at Ancestry.com.

David and his wife Kathryn have 7 children and 24 grandchildren. He enjoys playing the piano, board games, horseback riding, boating at Lake Powell, and building massive Lego kits with his grandchildren.

Bonnie K. Smith

Board Member

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Bonnie Smith is an accomplished business-centered technology executive with a track record of delivering superior business and IT results based on her broad and deep IT leadership expertise.

Having worked for premier Companies (DuPont, Whirlpool, Abbott, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Eaton and presently Lear Corporation) as well as the global management consulting firm McKinsey. Her robust industry experience includes Insurance (P&C, Medical, Re), Investment Banking, Chemicals, Life Sciences/Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Goods, Media, and Corporate staff organizations. This variety of manufacturing and service sector exposure enables her to bring best practices and out-of-the-box thinking to the opportunities and/or challenges at hand. She is intimately familiar with all business functions having re-engineered and/or automated them ranging from small evolutionary improvements to dramatic overhauls. She has extensive European experience.

She encourages prudent risk-taking, creates supportive high performing teams, drives accountability and sets stretch targets which resulted in a career of deep team loyalty as a leader who speaks the truth and supports her staff while helping them grow. Bonnie has a B.S. in Computer Science from Indiana University of PA and an MBA from the University of Chicago, both with High Honors. She was named Pittsburgh CIO of the Year and has raised more than $300K as an active volunteer.

Bruce R. Hough

Board Member

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Mr. Hough began his career in broadcasting and advertising (where he was awarded the prestigious International CLIO awards for broadcast advertising). He was a radio and TV host and was an Editor/Anchor for KSL Radio news. Hough was the publisher of Utah Business Magazine and later of Woodland Publishing which created trade paperback publications sold through major bookstores. As founder and president of Bonneville Satellite Corporation and its successor, Keystone Communications, Hough pioneered the use of satellites for broadcast communication for sports, news, and entertainment programming.

Mr. Hough is also the President-Emeritus, Senior Advisor, and Co-Founder of Nutraceutical Corporation, a nutritional supplement manufacturing and distribution company. Prior to Nutraceutical Corporation, Hough was Partner of Clarte’ Capital, LLC, a business merger and acquisition management and capital firm.

Mr. Hough is very active in civic and charitable endeavors and currently is the President of the Great Salt Lake Council of the Boy Scouts of America which serves 77,000 youth and 36,000 adult Scouts and Scouters. He is a Founding Board Member of Lifting Generations. Mr. Hough served his church for two years as a missionary in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and the San Blas Islands. He continues to be active in his religious faith as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a Rotarian, he chaired the international committee.

Mr. Hough graduated from Ricks College in Journalism and graduated from the Marriot School of Management at Brigham Young University. He attended an Executive Management Program at Harvard University for Broadcast Professionals. In 2018, Hough will receive a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, with a dual emphasis in Global Leadership and Servant Leadership at Gonzaga University. He reads, writes, and speaks Spanish.

He is an avid hiker, aquatic sportsman, snow skier, and Ironman tri-athlete; loves reading, Mesoamerican archaeology, and travel. He is married to Debra Francom Hough, they have ten children and twenty grandchildren.

Lucia Camino

Board Member

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Lucia is a passionate leader, joining Mentors International as the Director of Financial Solutions. From experience, she knows that combining real mentoring, training, and financial solutions is the right path to improve lives and achieve sustainability for those we serve. Lucia was born and lived in Mexico just before moving to the US in early 2023.

Lucia has a vast experience in the low-income lending sector in Mexico, with more than 20 years working for international financial companies. Prior to joining Mentors International, Lucia was, and continues to be, the Finance Director of Elevate Mexico, where she, together with a small team, moved forward with the microloans operation in the country by building an experienced team and implementing processes and financial controls. Previously, Lucia worked for 16 years in Provident Mexico, a subsidiary of UK International Personal Finance (provider of small, unsecured home-credit loans serving up to +800,000 customers in Mexico at that time), in positions such as the Commercial Development Director and Country Finance Director.

Lucia has a Bachelor’s in Economics and a CFO Diploma from Columbia Business School. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Finance program at ITESM in Mexico.

When not working or studying, Lucia enjoys spending time with her husband and her three dogs, traveling, and discovering new places, and following all kinds of sports, being an international swimmer herself back in college.

Bill Low

Board Member

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Bill Low started as a young sales representative at Medical Review Institute of America in 2001.  Just 5 years later he was running the growing company and in 2017 successfully sold the business.  After his exit he founded the Low Family Foundation which focuses primarily on helping the less fortunate through teaching self-reliance principles. He is passionate about helping lift and teach those in poverty-stricken areas. Since 2013 he's been involved with several charities throughout the world.

He has a B.S. in Communications and Executive MBA both from the University of Utah.  He is married to his wife Shirley and together they are proud parents of 5 children, 9 grandchildren, and counting. He enjoys traveling with his family, especially to Lake Powell!

Brody Holbrook

Board Member

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Brody is committed to helping people become self-reliant and has provided support to assist individuals and families in several countries. He is focused on projects and organizations that facilitate meaningful change and yield impactful results, making Lifting Generations/Mentor’s International a perfect fit.

He earned his B.A. from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Duke University.

As a Principal Partner with JJ Cole Collections, he helped build a fast-growing company with a successful exit.

Brody is an active investor and currently serves as a member of the Founders Board for the Jeffrey D. Clark Center For Entrepreneurship at the Utah State University Huntsman School of Business.

He and his wife Keesha enjoy time with five wonderful children, traveling, sports, and being active outdoors.

Tamera Tran

Board Member

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Tami Tran was born in Seoul, Korea and immigrated to the United States via adoption. She became a Naturalized US citizen in 1979.

Tami co-founded Rylex with her husband Ly in 2004. In 2019 they purchased Woodbury Tech. They specialize in Cyber Security, Engineering and IT Technology Solutions for the Department of Defense. As a Small Business Owner, CEO, she understands entrepreneurship, management and leadership.

Tami has served twice as a Planning Commissioner on the Kaysville City Planning Commission and as an elected City Council Member. In her current role as Kaysville City’s Mayor, she serves the community and city council and considers this to be the honor of her life.

She serves as Vice Chair for Davis Tech College Board of Trustees, ULCT Board of Directors, Chair Lakeview Hospital Board of Trustees, State of Utah Cyber Security Commission, and many other boards and commissions. She’s passionate about service and loves helping people problem solve.

In her spare time, she enjoys target shooting, family adventures, and thinks a lot about working out. She is hoping to master croissant baking. One day she’ll publish the book she’s writing in her head.  She loves sharing people’s stories through her podcast: Happy, Grateful, Blessed

Ben Thompson

Board Member

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Ben is senior executive with nearly 20 years’ experience in management for several energy and technology companies. Ben is currently General Manager of Wheeler Power Systems, a division of Wheeler Machinery Co, where he leads the company’s efforts in providing reliable generation solutions to utility, commercial and industrial customers.  Prior to joining Wheeler in 2021, Ben worked for nearly two decades for software companies serving the energy industry. He was CEO of US-based software company EPIS, Inc. from 2014 – 2017, and, after EPIS merged with Australian-based software developer Energy Exemplar, was SVP over the Americas and global customer success. Ben earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Utah, and an M.B.A. from Brigham Young University.

Leadership Team

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Peter Sturgeon

CEO

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Peter Sturgeon joined Mentors International because he believes deeply in the power of education and mentorship to transform lives.


Prior to joining Mentors International, Peter was the CEO of Elevate Global, an innovative provider of small business training, in-field operations technology, and real-time impact measurement in Latin America.


Previously, Peter was a Managing Director at Sorenson Capital, a leading growth equity investment firm with over $1 billion of assets under management. In his twelve years with Sorenson Capital, Peter invested in and supported high growth private companies in the energy, software, and healthcare industries. Peter began his career with the Boston Consulting Group where he advised Fortune 100 companies on strategy and operations.


Peter holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.


In his free time he enjoys being outdoors with his family, collecting vinyl records, and letting the Phoenix Suns break his heart.

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Colton Gardner

Growth

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Colton's passion for international economic development originated while living in Paraguay for over two years, including supporting entrepreneurs with Elevate Global. Through these on-the-ground experiences, Colton became convinced that entrepreneurship is the most effective path from poverty to economic prosperity.

Prior to joining Mentors International, Colton spent 9 years as an entrepreneur himself. In 2016, Colton co-founded Neighbor, a VC-backed technology startup. Raising over $75M in investor capital, Neighbor has grown to be the world's largest online marketplace for storage and parking. In 2021, Colton was named one of Forbes 30 Under 30.

Before starting Neighbor, Colton worked in management consulting at Cicero Group as well as in impact investing at the Sorenson Impact Institute.

Colton received his Bachelor's degree in Finance from the University of Utah, where he was also involved with the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. 

Colton loves spending time in the outdoors with his wife and two daughters and resides in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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Ana Peña

Operations

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Ana Peña joined Mentors International fueled by the belief that all families should have the opportunity to thrive and the conviction that education and mentoring can create pathways to improve livelihoods for people around the globe. Before joining Mentors International, Ana worked in a variety of operations roles in international education. Most recently, she was the Chief of Staff to the CEO at Tilting Futures, working to empower young changemakers to create meaningful impact on global issues. She was also the Head of Global Event Operations and served as the Americas Chief of Staff at Teach For All - a network organization with partners in over 60 countries working to expand educational opportunities around the world. As an engineer and MBA turned social impact operator, she loves supporting operations at mission-driven organizations to create scalable solutions and drive improved outcomes. When not working, you can find Ana doing yoga, exploring the outdoors with her family, and seeking out cross-cultural experiences.
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Juan Camargo

Business Solutions

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Born and raised in Colombia to entrepreneurial parents, Juan Camargo has witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by business owners, and has experienced the effectiveness of mentoring and training as tools for improving livelihoods.

Prior to joining Mentors International, Juan served as the General Manager for Elevate Colombia, where he played a pivotal role in establishing partnerships with prominent institutions across Latin America. Under his leadership, Elevate Colombia’s small business training program experienced rapid growth, reaching and positively impacting over 15,000 entrepreneurs.

Juan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Development from Brigham Young University, where he was recognized as a Ballard Scholar for Social Innovation. He currently seeks ways to leverage technology for social impact as a THINC fellow.

Outside of his professional pursuits, Juan embraces adventurous treks, open water diving, and backpacking in new destinations during his free time.

Lucia Camino

Financial Solutions

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Lucia is a passionate leader, joining Mentors International as the Director of Financial Solutions. From experience, she knows that combining real mentoring, training, and financial solutions is the right path to improve lives and achieve sustainability for those we serve. Lucia was born and lived in Mexico just before moving to the US in early 2023.

Lucia has a vast experience in the low-income lending sector in Mexico, with more than 20 years working for international financial companies. Prior to joining Mentors International, Lucia was, and continues to be, the Finance Director of Elevate Mexico, where she, together with a small team, moved forward with the microloans operation in the country by building an experienced team and implementing processes and financial controls. Previously, Lucia worked for 16 years in Provident Mexico, a subsidiary of UK International Personal Finance (provider of small, unsecured home-credit loans serving up to +800,000 customers in Mexico at that time), in positions such as the Commercial Development Director and Country Finance Director.

Lucia has a Bachelor’s in Economics and a CFO Diploma from Columbia Business School. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Finance program at ITESM in Mexico.

When not working or studying, Lucia enjoys spending time with her husband and her three dogs, traveling, and discovering new places, and following all kinds of sports, being an international swimmer herself back in college.

Philip Webb

Partnerships

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For the past 15 years Philip Webb has been the Executive Director of Operation Kids Foundation, supporting NGOs and social ventures — like Elevate Global and Mentors International — in their pursuit of innovative solutions to alleviating poverty.

Phil received a bachelor’s degree from BYU, an MPA from George Washington University, and a master’s degree in sustainable economic development from Oxford University.

He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife and five children.
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Justin Mellor

Finance

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Justin Mellor, CPA, CFE, currently serves as Chief Financial Officer. Justin has more than 15 years of extensive experience in both finance and accounting. He has held management and executive-level positions in healthcare, not-for-profit, and retail. Prior to his current role, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for Lifting Generations and was the Chief Financial Officer for Gold Cross Ambulance.

Justin earned both his BA and Master’s degree in Accountancy from Brigham Young University. He currently resides in Utah with his wife and three daughters.
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Sarah Barrett

Marketing

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Sarah Barrett has over two decades of marketing experience in the non-profit sector. Sarah has a diverse skill set, including copywriting, photography, videography, communications, website design, and event management.

She enjoys collaborating with the Mentors International’s teams across the globe and loves the opportunity to connect with new people and hear their inspiring stories.

Sarah is also an outdoor enthusiast who dedicates her weekends to mountain biking, hiking, and exploring National Parks with her husband and three children. Helping coach her children’s mountain bike team brings her immense joy and fulfillment.

Sarah is passionate about the work of Mentors International and has personally witnessed the positive impact Mentors International is making in the lives of those we serve.

Brad Lees

Technology

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Brad is a big believer that technology can be used to accelerate the impact we can have on poverty and education.

Brad is a technology leader with over 25 years of experience.  He specializes in mobile apps with a focus on security, banking, and payments.  Brad has built apps for Bank of America, Wells Fargo, First Data, and Global Payments, among others.  Brad also managed the development of the Zelle payment system, which now has almost 70M active users.

Brad graduated from Arizona State University in accounting. He married his high school sweetheart and they have been married 27 years. Brad has 5 kids and 2 granddaughters.  In his free time, you will find Brad on the slopes skiing or playing lots of pickleball.

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