Board & Staff

Lisa is excited to join Mentor Tutor Connection and eager to partner with the Board, staff, volunteers and donors to expand the organization’s reach and impact. She is passionate about supporting tutors and mentors as they foster meaningful connections, helping students explore, learn, and reach their full potential. In the executive director role, she draws upon her extensive nonprofit-sector experience in fundraising and program management, which has focused on enhancing literacy and community health. Lisa lives in Palo Alto and looks forward to deepening her involvement in the Los Altos and Mountain View communities.

Christy Flahavan has spent the past two decades investing in programs that enhance the lives of youth. She brings her experience as a community volunteer and MTC Tutor Program Manager in the Los Altos School District to the Director of Programs role. Prior to focusing on educational programs, Christy specialized in marketing and corporate communications for both the non-profit sector and medical device industry. In both her professional and personal endeavors, Christy has a passion for partnering with organizations that prioritize improving the wellbeing of those served. Christy is a firm believer in the impact of caring adults on the youth in our community and she values her role in facilitating those connections through Mentor Tutor Connection.

Jackie began as an MTC tutor in 2020 and joined the MTC staff in fall 2022. She brings more than fifteen years of experience as a volunteer and team leader in school-parent associations and youth programs. She served on the board of a local youth orchestra and has a professional background in law and banking. Jackie is originally from Massachusetts and has lived in the Bay Area for over twenty-five years.

As the Community Engagement Manager, Gloria drives marketing and engagement initiatives to further MTC’s mission. Before joining MTC, Gloria gained extensive experience in market strategy and insights at a Fortune 50 healthcare company. She has been actively involved as a volunteer in local schools and through her work with National Charity League. Gloria is passionate about MTC’s mission to help students reach their potential and thrive. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking, cooking, and searching for the Bay Area’s best matcha latte with her teenage daughters.

Fionnuala Loughran is a Tutor Program Manager with MTC working with our tutors in the Mountain View Whisman School District. Fionnuala has a finance and program management background in the public and voluntary sector, and has been an involved parent in local schools and an active volunteer in PTA, Girl Scouts and her kids soccer since arriving in the U.S. from Ireland ten years ago.

As the Tutor Program Manager for MTC, Vanessa Hannan leads efforts to enhance tutoring initiatives in the Los Altos School District. Before her move to the Bay Area, Vanessa was in business development at Amazon. After relocating to California and starting a family, she became deeply involved in the local community. Vanessa dedicated her time to various roles, including contributing to the Springer auction committee, serving on the PTA board, acting as the VP of Volunteering and Membership, Project Cornerstone, and numerous local charities. Driven by a profound commitment to giving back, Vanessa is passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of others. In her free time, Vanessa enjoys running, biking, volleyball, and skiing with her family and friends.

Jennifer Springer is the Mentor Program Manager at Mountain View High School. Jennifer has primarily worked in the career counseling field, helping adults and youth find employment and advance their educational goals. She is well-connected to the programs that support struggling families & familiar with alternative educational options. Jennifer is a long-term resident of the area and cares greatly for our community. She is a member of the Los Altos Village Association Board because she is motivated to build community and create a downtown for residents of all ages. Jennifer has a long history of being involved in the local PTA. She is currently serving on the Mountain View Los Altos High School Foundation Board. You’ll find her hiking through the foothills or on a mountain bike in her free time, trying to keep up with her teenagers.

Mela brings to this role her experience in teen programming and wellness coaching. She was a director of Google’s “Tech Day” teen event, where she & her team worked with volunteers to deliver a fun, exploratory STEM experience for hundreds of local high school students. Now, as a wellness coach, Mela helps her clients reflect and take intentional actions towards improved well-being, as they define it. Both of these experiences contribute to MTC’s mentoring program aims, and Mela is grateful to bring it all together in this role. Outside of MTC, you may find Mela browsing bookstores for character-driven fiction, hiking with her sketchbook, or biking to a pickleball game at Rengstorff.