Cleveland Indians announce finalists for Mentor of the Year Award
Three top area mentors chosen as finalists from over 100 nominations; fans will vote on winner of inaugural Mentor of the Year Award contest
Cleveland, OH-Three Northeast Ohio leaders have been chosen as finalists in the first Cleveland Indians Mentor of the Year Award contest.
The Indians introduced the contest in November in conjunction with Terry Francona winning the American League Manager of the Year award, to recognize the leadership and mentoring efforts of others in Northeast Ohio.
The organization asked fans to submit nominations for those in the community making a difference in other people's lives and working to make Northeast Ohio a better place through leadership and mentoring efforts. Over 100 nominations were received, and were judged on criteria including alignment with the Indians mission of impacting youth education and recreation; alignment with the club's Guiding Commitments and organizational values; and nominees broadly and positively impacting Northeast Ohio.
The finalists are:
- Jeff Haynes, Club Director, Boys and Girls Clubs of Cleveland
- Margaret Bernstein, former columnist, The Plain Dealer
- Marc Engoglia, Principal, Facing History New Tech High School
Honorable mention selections are:
- Brent Shelly, Dean of Students, Minds Matter Cleveland
- Marsha Pavlenda, teacher, Midview Local Schools
- Michael Dies, President, West Akron Baseball League
- Hilary Parsons, Counselor, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital
- Ryan Wolfe, Coach, Northeast Ohio Challenger Baseball
- Edie Deyarmin, Advocate, disabled/disadvantaged veterans
- Tim Able, Coach, UpWard Basketball
"We were truly impressed with the scores of nominees and candidates for our first Mentor of the Year Award, an honor we're pleased to recognize during National Mentorship Month. We're proud to celebrate these exceptional mentors and the lasting impact they have every day and on the future of our community," Indians President Mark Shapiro said.
Tribe fans can vote beginning today until Tuesday, January 21, for the winner at Indians.com/Mentors. The winner and his or her nominee will meet Francona at TribeFest, presented by KeyBank, Jan. 25-26 at Progressive Field.