ABOUT US
Magnify Mentoring connects and supports people, specifically those from underrepresented backgrounds, who are ambitious and rigorous in their altruism, to have a positive impact with their careers and lives. Since starting in 2019, we have grown to a global network of over 500 community members, spanning over 50 countries, and all inhabited continents. Alongside our programs to support, inspire, and connects a global community of women, non-binary, and trans people of all genders, we are piloting projects to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of expanding our services to support more people from underrepresented groups with mentorship.
OUR HISTORY
Our CEO Kathryn Mecrow-Flynn and Director Catherine Low started Magnify Mentoring (formerly WANBAM) in 2019. Following consultations with women, non-binary and trans people of all genders, we identified mentorship as the most promising approach to inspire, support, and connect people who are motivated to have a positive impact with their careers and lives. Magnify Mentoring started with a group of less than forty mentors and a volunteer CEO and has rapidly grown to a supportive, warm, and truly global network.
Due to the incredible generosity of our mentors and donors, we now have a full-time team and have supported over 500 women, non-binary and trans people of all genders. Our community now spans over fifty countries, and all inhabited continents. Our members have a tremendous breadth of expertise, ranging from founders of organizations that disseminate accurate information on public health, to leaders in animal-product alternatives, to researchers who examine the opportunities and potential risks of emerging technologies.
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Mentees report that the mentorship program has helped empower them to achieve their goals, connected them with networks and relevant opportunities, built their confidence, and provided a welcoming community to help navigate personal and professional opportunities and challenges. You can read more about their experiences here, here and here.
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We will run a series of pilot projects to help us determine the feasibility and effectiveness of expanding our mentorship program, particularly to target people from traditionally underrepresented groups.
MEET THE TEAM
KATHRYN MECROW-FLYNN
DIRECTOR (PRESIDENT) & CEO
Kathryn started her career by securing an undergraduate and master's degree in Law, with a focus on International Law and Human Rights. Prior to starting Magnify Mentoring, she spent the entirety of her career in civil society, working in five countries on human-rights public interest litigation, legal research, and lecturing. She later worked in project management and philanthropic outreach, encouraging donors to support evidence-based and impactful organizations. She founded Magnify Mentoring in 2019 and continues to act as a Consultant on diversity and inclusivity and evidence-based donation strategies.
MCKENNA FITZGERALD
DIRECTOR
McKenna Fitzgerald a Research Manager at MATS where she manages researchers working on technical AI safety. She is also a Mentor with Athena, supporting women working on AI policy and governance. Prior to MATS, she was the Deputy Director of the Global Catastrophic Risk Institute (GCRI) where she led the management of GCRI’s projects and contributed to GCRI’s research on US AI policy and international cooperation on AI. Before joining GCRI, she was Director of Academic Affairs at the Consulate General of Israel in San Francisco. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley (2018).
CATHERINE LOW
DIRECTOR (TREASURER)
Catherine is Groups Support for the EA Local Groups team of the Centre for Effective Altruism (CEA). She has held many roles as a Community Builder for Effective Altruism including as a founding member of Effective Altruism New Zealand, compiling resources for the LEAN Project, and acting as a manager for SHIC.
SKY MAYHEW
DIRECTOR (SECRETARY)
Sky provides support to people and projects in the DC community. She previously served as a Community Liaison at the Center for Effective Altruism. She consults with founders of mentorship programs. Sky holds a Masters of Public Administration from Gallaudet University and is an interpreter, primarily for the US federal government.
Two of our directors worked at the Centre for Effective Altruism (CEA), from whom we received a grant via the EA Infrastructure Fund. Neither had any previous involvement with Meta Fund grantmaking and will recuse themselves from any input on future grants.
ADVISORS
Angela Aristizabal
Angela is a Research Fellow at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. Previously, she was a Research Scholar at the Future of Humanity Institute, University of Oxford.
Surbhi Bharadwaj
Surbhi (she/her/hers) is currently pursuing a joint MPA in International Development and MBA at the Harvard Kennedy and Business schools. Prior to graduate school, she worked on the Technology Team at GiveDirectly. She graduated from Yale with majors in Economics and Statistics & Data Science.
Anna Christina Thorsheim
Anna Christina is the co-founder and executive director of Family Empowerment Media, which works to improve maternal and child health through providing information about effective contraception on the radio. FEM has reached over 30 million listeners in Nigeria with short and long campaigns.
Carrick Flynn
Carrick is a specialist focusing on the prevention of the potential risks posed by emerging technologies. A former congressional candidate, Carrick has played a leading role in advising governments and the private sector on a multitude of issues notably including hardware export controls, and the design of private sector ethics boards. Carrick is a Research Fellow and the former Assistant Director of the Centre for the Governance of AI.
Dominika Krupocin
Dominika is the Senior People and Culture Manager at Rethink Priorities. In this role, she contributes to creating a healthy culture within RP to ensure that current and potential staff and other stakeholders have an equally positive experience while interacting with the organization.
Sumaya Nur Adan
Sumaya Nur is a researcher in AI governance. She is currently completing her Masters at the University of Cambridge on the Ethics of AI, Data, and Algorithms. She acted as a visiting researcher at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risks, and advisor for the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction’s Sendai Framework and the African Commission on AI governance.
Cullen O'Keefe
Cullen currently works as the Director of Research at the Institute for Law & AI. Cullen is also a Research Affiliate with the Centre for the Governance of AI and a VP at the O’Keefe Family Foundation. Cullen's works on the law, policy, and governance of advanced artificial intelligence, with a focus on preventing severe harms to public safety and global security.
Abi Olvera
Abi Olvera is a Council on Strategic Risks Senior Fellow, specializing in systemic risks across AI, biosecurity, and cybersecurity. With roles focusing on China, Egypt, and Senegal at the Department of State, she has focused on emerging technologies, macroeconomic stability, and international coordination.
Melissa Guzikowski
Melissa is a lifelong animal advocate currently serving as Senior People and Culture Manager at Rethink Priorities. Her responsibilities include the strategic direction and implementation of performance management and learning & development processes. She also acts as an advisor and coach to managers across the organization.