MEET OUR 2022-23 Mentors

Martha Honeycutt - Mentors For Mom Program Director
Martha Honeycutt graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Communications/Public Relations. After graduation, Martha worked in Germany for Lignotok GmbH, an automotive supplier. Upon returning to the U.S., she joined Ford Motor Company where she held different roles over the years, including Dealer Operations Manager, Fleet Call Center Manager and E-Business Strategy & Development Manager. She also functioned as a recruiter.
Honeycutt has a passion for the advancement of women. She was on the Board of Women’s Studies at the University of Michigan–Dearborn where she participated as a mentor. She was a member of Ford’s Women’s Marketing Team as well as the company’s Women’s Speakers Bureau. She is an active member of the North Mecklenburg Woman’s Club and has served two years as its president. Honeycutt and her husband have two grown children.

Cynthia Bailey
Cynthia Bailey has a B.S. in Business from Franklin University and a J.D. degree from Capital University Law School. She works for Atrium Health, where she leads the Workforce Strategy team to create career development programs.
A lifelong human relations professional, Bailey has held positions in government and health care, with experience in workforce development, labor management/employee relations, and organizational development. She is honored to lift up others through mentoring, community service and volunteerism.
Bailey is from Columbus, Ohio - Go Bucks! She is a mom to two rockstar kids. She loves to travel, attempt gardening, play Scrabble, snow ski and spend time with her rowdy family and friends.

Niksa Balbosa
Niksa Balbosa is a licensed private investigator who holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from UNC Charlotte. She also is certified as a Level-One Fire Inspector.
Balbosa has spent more than 20 years working in the private investigative and security industry, safeguarding staff and properties. She has led investigations that successfully apprehended suspects involved in theft. In 2011 she started her own firm, Victory Investigations.
Balbosa is a strong believer in giving back to the community. Whether the topic is education, employment, or housing, she believes in equity for all.

Kim Buch
Kim Buch is an organizational psychologist and a professor of psychology at UNC Charlotte. She has three grown sons and two black cats. Buch is an avid gardener and hiker, and active community volunteer.

Sherry Cantrell
Sherry Cantrell is a “mostly retired” attorney who holds a B.A. in International Relations from Emory University and a J.D. degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. After a number of years practicing law in New York City, she settled in Charlotte with her family.
A mother of four, she is an ANSWER mentor because she knows it can be crucial to have someone ahead of you on your path lending support.

Karen Cynowa
Karen Cynowa owned and operated a productivity training and consulting company for 25 years in Michigan. She moved to Charlotte 10 years ago and transitioned her talents to real estate. She is now a certified Realtor and trains other Realtors in productivity and processes.
Cynowa has mentored throughout her life in business and nonprofits. She served on various boards and found great fulfillment as the chairperson for a scholarship fund, leading fundraising efforts for 20 years. Now, Cynowa is thrilled to be able to provide one-on-one guidance and support as an ANSWER mentor.
Cynowa enjoys lake living and expresses her creativity through art projects. As a proud mother and "Mimi" to two spirited granddaughters, she finds joy and inspiration in her family.

Dagmar Damour
Dagmar Damour is a licensed Realtor and certified associate in project management. She earned her bachelor's degree in Organizational Leadership from Mercy College. Native to New York City, Dagmar and her three children have called Charlotte home since 2016. Dagmar currently owns and operates Direct Solution Resurces LLC, a project management consulting firm. A recent alumna of Leadership Charlotte, Dagmar enjoys making positive contributions to the Charlotte community. No stranger to life's challenges, Dagmar lives by Nelson Mandela's saying "It always seems impossible, until it's done."

Mary Jane Freeman
Mary Jane Freeman is the founder of The Davidson Center for Learning and Academic Planning, a comprehensive education center and accredited non-public school in Davidson. A lifelong educator, she spent twenty years in public education as a teacher and guidance counselor in California, Arizona, Missouri, Connecticut, and New York. She earned her undergraduate degree from San Jose State University, holds a master’s degree in counseling from Washington University, and earned a certificate of advanced study in curriculum and supervision from Fairfield University.

Hisayo Gallo
Hisayo Gallo was born and raised in Japan and graduated from Toyo University with a B.S. in Sociology. She came to the U.S. to study linguistics and psychology as a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she earned her master’s degree. Gallo began teaching psychology, focusing on developmental psychology. Her main interests are brain and cognitive development. She currently teaches developmental psychology at Gaston College. She is married to her husband of 25 years and has 3 grown sons. Gallo is a self-proclaimed gourmet cook, enjoys making pottery and playing classical music on the piano.

Diane Gilroy
Diane “Dee” Gilroy has worked in software sales and telecommunications for over ten years. She is currently working on a master’s in cybersecurity at UNC Charlotte. She also has a master's degree in Spanish as well as business administration. Gilroy is most excited about being a mentor with ANSWER because she taught hundreds of students at UNC Charlotte where she worked as a Spanish instructor for almost ten years. During this time, she had the opportunity to motivate and coach students with difficult life circumstances. She especially enjoyed offering encouragement and support to single moms trying to finish college. She and her husband of 26 years have four daughters between the ages of 13 and 23 as well as a male German Shepherd (the son of the family).

Stephanie Hale
Stephanie Hale directly supports the HR Leadership Exchange, a consortium of chief human resource officers of the nation’s top 100 colleges and universities. She builds the leadership capability and effectiveness of leaders within higher education.
Hale earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree and executive coaching certificate from Queens University of Charlotte and Presence-Based Coaching in Asheville.
Hale is particularly passionate about storytelling, emotional intelligence, strategic communication, women’s leadership, and innovation. In previous roles she was responsible for building leaders, from frontline managers through senior executives.
Hale is a co-host of the Work It Podcast, produced and distributed through Charlotte’s NPR station. She also coaches speakers for TEDxCharlotte and performs as a storyteller with the Charlotte Storytellers.

Susan Jenkins
Susan Jenkins holds a master’s in business administration from UNC Charlotte and a bachelor of arts from UNC Greensboro. She has been employed with TIAA for more than 17 years and maintains securities and insurance licensing. Jenkins is a co-chair for a women’s resource group and is working through her Six Sigma certifications. She began her career as a social worker and later moved into the financial industry where she feels she thrives. Jenkins is the mother of one son and a golden retriever, and both keep her very busy.

Katie Jenson
Katie Jensen is a doctoral candidate in bioinformatics and computational biology at UNC Charlotte. She holds both a B.S. in Psychology and M.S. in Bioinformatics and Genomics from UNC Charlotte. From her third year of her undergraduate studies, Jensen has worked in and served UNC Charlotte’s community as an instructor and mentor.
As an ANSWER alumna, Jensen knows firsthand how critical ANSWER’s Mentors for Moms program is in providing support for the scholars. She wants to support other women in their journey to success, and to pay forward the amazing support she has received on her own journey. Jensen has two daughters and loves spending time with her family. She plays piano and enjoys working out and engaging in various outdoor activities.

Jaci Jones
Jaci Jones is a certified divorce financial analyst and a certified financial planner. After ten years in the insurance industry, Jones found her passion helping families design their legacy through trusts and estate planning. One of her favorite quotes is by leadership guru Max De Pree: "We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are." This sentiment is why she believes so strongly in ANSWER’s mission. When she thinks back to all the people who helped her "become what she needs to be," she wants to empower other mothers in the same way as an ANSWER mentor. Jones is a mom of one and loves to garden and jog.

Teri Kubbs
Teri Kubbs is chairperson of ANSWER’s University Relations Committee. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Ohio Northern University and a master's degree plus 30 (30 additional credits) in high school administration from the University of Dayton. Her career spans 36 years in public education in Ohio, half in the classroom teaching senior government and half as a high school principal. Kubbs is the proud mom of two amazing Sons – Kirt and Kody – two incredible bonus daughters – Mandy and Sherry – and two energetic and delightful granddaughters – Gwen and Delaney.

Deborah T. Lee
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Deborah T. Lee lives in the Charlotte area with three of her four children. She holds an associate degree in paralegal studies and a B.S. in Human Services. Lee works in a middle school as a behavior specialist coordinator and is earning a master’s degree in social work. Her love for children and making a change in their lives motivates her to do this work, along with her passion for providing people with the resources they need to navigate this world.

Donna Lerner
Donna Lerner teaches art and is the assistant director of marketing at the Charlotte Jewish Day School. She hold a B.A. in Biochemistry and a minor in art history from Smith College, and an MSPH in Environmental Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Lerner began her career in environmental consulting in Washington, D.C. Prior to becoming a teacher, she worked in residential real estate and actively participated in several non-profit boards. She is married to a Charlotte native and has two grown children.

Lori Myers
Lori Myers is a senior director at TIAA, where she leads a team that focuses on the internal customer experience with desktop technologies. Myers has 25 years of experience in the financial services industry in technology and business management roles. Since joining TIAA, she helped create the IT Women’s Council’s group mentoring program. She also co-chairs the Women’s Employee Resource Group in Charlotte and serves as a career coach.
Myers is an active volunteer as a member of ANSWER’s Professional Development Committee and the Belmont Abbey College Alumni Board. She holds an M.S. in Management and Leadership from Montreat College and a B.A. in Liberal Studies from Belmont Abbey College. Myers is a Distinguished Toast Master and served in the United States Air Force.
Myers lives in Cramerton with her husband, Clint. They have three children.

Pamela Pollard
Pamela Pollard is in her second career as a secondary English educator. She previously spent several decades in various positions at IBM Corporation. Also, as a small business entrepreneur she successfully ran a custom framing business.
Pollard holds a B.A. in Speech Communication from Saint Mary’s College in Indiana and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Belmont University in Tennessee. She has always found time to volunteer as a tutor and mentor. Her mantra is a saying from Confucius, “Tell me and I will forget, show me and I may remember; involve me and I will understand.”
Pollard and her husband recently relocated from Connecticut. Their adult children, a daughter and two sons, now enjoy any reason to visit the Tar Heel State.

Simona Sherrell
Simona Sherrell is an infant and toddler specialist with Child Care Resources, Inc. Originally from Roanoke, Va., she has more than 20 years of experience in the early childhood field. Sherrell earned her associate degree from Southwestern Illinois College at age 35 and bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Western Carolina University at age 47.
Sherrell likes to encourage and empower other women and mothers who are back in school. She says that no matter the age, anything is possible if you just believe in yourself – and she is proof.
Sherrell has been married to her husband Mike for 25 years. They have two boys and a miniature schnauzer. She enjoys running 5k races, reading, scrapbooking, and traveling with family and friends.

Kristine Virgint
Kristine Virgint received her B.A. in International Relations from Kent State University. Following graduation, she worked in Bolivia for a hand-knit sweater company supervising production of designs and quality control. During this time, she became fluent in Spanish while working with Indigenous women. After returning to the U.S., she started her own retail company in Boston, expanding to New York City and Washington D.C.
Virgint spent the next 20 years working in Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala, Mexico and Nepal producing and distributing her own original collections of handmade products. She moved to Charlotte 15 years ago with her husband to raise their two sons. After spending the majority of her career working with women, Virgint recognizes the strength of women and feels privileged to help them improve their life for their families.

Shannon C. Walker
Shannon Walker is a communications and fundraising professional with more than 18 years of experience. She is committed to sharing compelling stories and providing pathways for people to positively impact community issues that matter most to them.
Walker holds a B.A. in Mass Communications from Clark Atlanta University and a master’s in nonprofit management from Eastern University. She is the wife of Duan and proud mom to 6-year-old Wyatt.
Walker volunteers as an ANSWER mentor because she believes she wouldn't have achieved success without the support of mentors in her personal and professional life. She also says mentoring “not only helps the mentee, but also changes the life of the mentor forever.”

Sarah Welsh
Sarah Welsh is a learning and leadership client manager at Bank of America, currently supporting the Global Technology and Operations team. Over her eleven years with the bank, she has had various roles leading key learning initiatives and the new hire program for the Global Banking and Markets business. Her passion is coaching employees at all levels to embrace their strengths, as well as identify and pursue development opportunities that support their career growth. Welsh is a native of Rochester, N.Y. and graduated from York College of Pennsylvania with a B.A in History and a minor in political science. She recently relocated to Charlotte from New York City with her husband and twin daughters.

Kathy Widger
Kathy Widger is retired from a 40+ year career in nursing with roles as a staff nurse, clinical and program director, educator, and advanced clinician. This includes a role as advanced practice psychiatric nurse. She was certified as a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and she was a member of Sigma Theta Tau honor society in Nursing. She has volunteered as a trained community mediator in Maryland, working with parents to assist them in developing parenting plans. Kathy holds a B.S. degree from Boston College and a M.A. from New York University.

Sheila Williams
Sheila Williams is CEO/founder of S. Williams Coaching and Consulting LLC and a proud TIAA employee for almost seven years. She has also written youth and adult development programs for non-profit entities and municipalities. Williams holds a B.S. in Management with a concentration in organizational behavior as well as certifications in life coaching, mindfulness, IT, and Six Sigma (Green Belt). Her favorite quote is Vince Lombardi’s, “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” Williams is the proud mother of one son and her fur baby Chloe.

Roberta Wilson
Roberta Borden Wilson is self-employed as a licensed mental health counselor with Grace Christian Counseling in Charlotte, Belmont and Lincolnton, N.C. She also enjoyed careers as a journalist at newspapers throughout the Charlotte area and as an educator licensed in both Carolinas. Wilson has served in volunteer leadership positions with a free health clinic, homeless shelter and children’s advocacy agency. She holds bachelor degrees in English and mass communications from Gardner-Webb University and an M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Regent University. She and her husband, Art, their three college-age children and two dogs live in South Charlotte.

Sheila Wright
Sheila Wright was raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., and moved to Charlotte in 1994. She has been a registered nurse for more than 38 years and earned an M.S. in Nursing with a focus on global public health nursing. She has been a part of the Professional Development Committee with ANSWER for the past year. Wright is married, a mother and a grandmother. She loves to knit and love on her grandchildren.

Jessica Yarzumbeck
Jessica Yarzumbeck is the segment growth leader for dental and healthcare services at Aprio, a CPA-led business advisory firm. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from UNC Charlotte, M.A. in Communication from Queens University of Charlotte, and is currently working on an Integrated Marketing 360 Certificate through Cornell University. “I understand the challenges that come with being an untraditional student as well as the benefits of having a degree,” she says. “I’m so excited to offer support to an ANSWER scholar as she takes the initiative to better her life, her future and her family.” Yarzumbeck enjoys traveling, reading, listening to music and podcasts, and especially spending time with family, friends, her husband Brad and their kitties.