As Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, our team at the Over My Shoulder Foundation wanted to share how thankful we are for all of the mentors that have impacted the lives of our youth and made a difference in Designing the Next Generation.

Margaret Russell
Source: Kerry via Pinterest

We often use our blog as an opportunity to highlight individuals that have been recognized for their contributions as mentors, and we recently talked about the positive impact that Bina Kalola, head of strategic investments and global equities at Bank of America Merrill Lynch had on women that want to move up the corporate ladder of male-dominated financial institutions. For the music industry, Amy Kurland, founder of the famous Bluebird Cafe, was recently honored with the Frances William Preston Award at the 43rd Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame for helping to launch the careers of so many up-and-coming artists.

We are pleased to announce that President Obama recently appointed Kim Taylor as a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities and Margaret Russell as General Trustee of the Board of Trustees of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For the past 30 years, Kim Taylor has been a part of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and has served in a variety of capacities, most recently a Trustee of the BSO. Because of her contributions, the BSO has become a valuable learning tool for our youth. Margaret Russell is currently the Editor and Chief of Architectural Digest, but has mentored many in the design industry through her participation in shows like Top Design.

Both women have made a valuable contribution towards Designing the Next Generation, which has helped to nurture the talent of our youth to help them succeed.

Please remember that January is National Mentoring Month, so let’s help the youth around us!