MBK Partners

My Brother’s Keeper Boston

My Brother’s Keeper was founded by former President Barack Obama in 2014 to address opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color with the goal to ensure that all can reach their full potential regardless of birth circumstance. My Brother’s Keeper Boston (MBK Boston) was started by former Mayor Martin J. Walsh with the commitment of former President Obama to support the young men and women of Boston with the goal of providing tools and resources necessary for success. Gregory Blaize, the executive director of MBK Boston, is the lead representative on behalf of MBK Boston and the current pilot program.

University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston) provides organizational structure and oversight to the partnership. Dr. Joseph Cooper (J. Keith Motley Endowed Chair of Sport Leadership and Administration) serves as the leader for My Brother’s Keeper UMass Boston, and meets weekly with the undergraduate fellows. Dr. Jean Rhodes (Frank L. Boyden Professor of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts) from the Center for Evidence-based Mentoring is a leader in the youth mentoring field and is providing consultation on evidence-based strategies for the intergenerational mentoring model in this alliance.  Both Dr. Cooper and Dr. Rhodes are the lead representatives on behalf of UMass Boston. Through the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring, Jordan Cherry serves as the project’s manager and coordinates the alliance logistics.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Easterrn Massaachusetts (BBBSEM) facilitates the relationships between all mentee-mentor pairs. Additionally, under the leadership of Terrence McCarron the BBBSEM team coordinates mentoring logistics, including screening, matching and the supervision of both Omega Psi Phi and UMB MBK mentors.