About the MentorWorks Team

Micha Sabovik has nearly 25 years of experience in higher education focusing on: operations, careers, financial aid, admissions/enrollment, sales and marketing. Micha has led a variety of cross-functional teams at Boston University/College of Communication and Brandeis International Business School.

Furthermore, Micha, along with a faculty colleague won the inaugural Digital Learning Initiative grant (BU) and built an online course targeted toward assisting incoming non‐English speaking graduate students. Additionally, she oversaw a nation-wide staff of 25 on the Institutional Relations/Sales and Scholarship teams at CIEE Study Abroad.

Micha also teaches a graduate-level Social Media/Advertising course at Boston University and has collected a dozen awards for marketing efforts/student recruiting efforts.

Ki Akrami has over 20 years of experience in investment management, structured finance, and capital raise. Ki was previously Managing Director at Rothschild & Co, and was Portfolio Manager of several investment funds over multiple market cycles. At Rothschild, he developed the idea for and led the creation of an innovative principal protected investment fund from start to finish, including negotiation with business partners, creation of the legal structure, hiring service providers, leading the coordination of efforts among internal and external teams as well as the regulator in the lead-up to launch, securing seed funding and later leading capital raising efforts.

Ki has conducted due diligence on over 1,000 investments during his career, and personally led strategic deals, product launches, and seed deal negotiations. He has hands-on experience with institutional investors, and secured a $150M mandate from a Fortune 500 pension plan. Additionally, Ki negotiated a $25M seed deal with an institutional asset manager.

Mike Trachtman has 25 years of experience architecting digital experiences and developing software products using a wide range of platforms and technologies. At MentorWorks, Mike leads development of its ISA origination platform and cloud-powered infrastructure.

Previously, at Insightfil, Mike developed cloud software and mobile apps that power pharmacy operations and offer additional value to patients and their families. He also managed robotics and software engineering teams responsible for supporting innovative mosaic design and robotic manufacturing processes at Artaic.

Mike has advised project teams and clients in the application of human-centered design and Agile development methodologies, creating digital experiences that meaningfully engage users at Story+Structure, a design consultancy. Additionally, Mike designed and engineered Introspect, an electronic discovery product used by paralegals and attorneys to review billions of sensitive documents at ZANTAZ, later acquired by HP Autonomy.

Neal was Senior Vice President and Chief Underwriting Officer of Major Accounts at Liberty Mutual when he retired in 2015. During his 38 year career at Liberty, Neal held various underwriting management positions in the large account casualty insurance marketplace. He holds a BA degree in Economics from the University of Massachusetts and an MBA degree from Babson College.

Brad Edmond has 25 years of experience building successful marketing strategies, lead generation programs, and sales enablement systems at high-growth software, SaaS and technology companies. At MentorWorks, Brad leads Marketing Operations, overseeing digital marketing initiatives, systems and data integration, and continuous performance improvement.

Armed with a BA in English from Bates and a gold medal in brewing, Brad left craft beer in 1996 for the Internet. He began his web career designing the first website for Boston’s Transit Authority, the T, and went on to start the web services practice for Ogilvy PR Worldwide in Cambridge – creating sites & ad campaigns for pharma companies like Pfizer, Novartis, and Merck.

Brad then became a Marketing Director at AOL, launching what is now HuffPost’s Black Voices, after which he pursued his MBA at Babson. From 2007-2011, Brad was Co-founder & Managing Partner of a search engine marketing agency for tech startups and has since served as a Senior Marketing Director at SolidWorks, Cognex, and Intuit as well as a fractional VP of Marketing at HeyWire, acquired by Salesforce in 2016, and Gryphon Networks, acquired by Sverica in 2019.

Meg has over nine years of experience in higher education management and international education, specializing in the areas of marketing, sales, account management, content creation, project management, and recruiting. Having worked at CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange and Boston University, as well as recently having taught English abroad in Thailand, Meg identifies as a lifelong learner and is passionate about educational access, equity, and development, as well as cross-cultural and experiential learning practices. She is excited to bring her unique skill set to MentorWorks to ensure that our education and corporate partners are successfully onboarded and have all of the needed tools and resources to effectively engage with us and our students. 

With over 10+ years of experience in account management, sales, and marketing, Serena brings her knowledge and expertise to support MentorWorks mission of making quality education affordable and employment available to all students, regardless of background.

She has worked in a number of industries including education, publishing, radio, outdoor advertisement, eCommerce, entertainment, and sports. Due to her vast experience, she understands the intersection of people, culture, and opportunity. Serena is a diligent and passionate professional who is excited to join together her love for people and enthusiasm for education. 

Joel graduated from Northeastern University with bachelors in Finance and Psychology. He has a passion for higher education reform – specifically for how students are financed. He also has experience in the financial services industry as well as working in non-profit micro-financiers such as WorldVision Cambodia.

Talent Accelerator Platform Manager
Katy has over eight years of operations and management experience ranging from startup retail brands to the Walt Disney Company. Her passion for energizing, connecting, and inspiring others is at the crux of every success she’s found; she’s thrilled to bring this passion to the education industry with Mentorworks. She holds a Master’s Degree in Museum Studies from Arizona State University.

Brian started his career working in Finance with JPMorgan Chase in Hawaii where he honed his sales & account management skills, earning the title of top Alt-A loan producer nationally in 2006. After spending time as an advertising account manager working with some of the largest brands on earth, he decided to take some time off for personal goals and visited 26 countries. During that time he volunteered with orphans in Peru, took care of street dogs in Thailand, and helped out at an animal sanctuary in Vietnam. Education has played a major role in his development and Brian is excited to bring his diverse background to the MentorWorks team and make some great impact as the Client Enrollment and Sales Specialist.
 

Wolfgang has expertise in sales, communication, writing, and customer relations.  He has worked in broadcasting for over a decade, including radio and television. His on-air experience has led to interviews with high-profile individuals including hall of fame athletes, coaches, and other celebrities in the sports and entertainment world. Wolfgang is also a part-time DJ/MC and the Learfield/IMG radio studio host for Boston College football, basketball, and hockey. He has a dual-degree from Virginia Tech in Communications and HNFE.
 

Sebastian is our Full Stack Software Developer. After pursuing his Computer Science degree from the University of South Carolina, he worked to develop efficient software and applications for Dominion Energy. As a software engineer, he has supported the National Weather Service and NOAA with scientific data collection. Sebastian has a passion for programming, finance, and education. He strives to learn something new every day at MentorWorks.
 

After pursuing a degree in Politics & Government and Cinema from the University of Hartford, Paolo managed individual and business finances as a Banker for Citizens Bank and Santander Bank, taught in Brooklyn as a Teacher for Success Academy Charter Schools, and has held a Communications Director position in a Mayoral race. Paolo has a passion for social justice, education, and creative media and is excited to join the MentorWorks team.

Shawnequa has a strong passion for finance and technology. Before joining MentorWorks, she dedicated four years to the finance industry where she was able to hone plenty of skills and financial literacy to educate and support those around her.