
Complete your 2026 Mentor Application by November 14, 2025.
Join the 2026 tnAchieves Mentor Program and impact Tennessee students' lives. Now offering career-focused Workforce Mentorship alongside Access Mentorship. Click here to learn more about the changes. With just one hour per month, tnAchieves mentors help students succeed in college and careers while strengthening Tennessee’s workforce.
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1) Register as a tnAchieves Mentor and select whether you wish to serve as a Workforce or Access Mentor.
2) Complete the required virtual mentor training by December 12.
3) Receive your list of tnAchieves students and introduce yourself!
4) Commit one hour per month to connecting with 3-5 assigned students while remaining connected to tnAchieves via weekly emails and webinar trainings!
Choose Your Mentor Experience
Both designed to help students reach their career goals, mentors either help high school students navigate the journey to college -OR- prepare college sophomores for next steps after college graduation.
Mentors choose one of two volunteer experiences!
Roles of a mentor
ResourceS and FAQs
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Anyone over the age of 21 is eligible to serve as a tnAchieves mentor!
In order to be paired with students, mentors must:
Complete a standard background check.
Complete a required video training by December 12.
Commit one hour per month from approximately January through September. During this time, mentors will engage with students bi-weekly to achieve key college-going and career development milestones.
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Both Access and Workforce Mentorship will be entirely virtual in 2026.
Mentors will not be required to meet in person and will complete their training online. Mentors will connect with students via phone call, email, text and virtual video meeting. When possible, mentors can coordinate independent in-person meetings with their students at a public place in their community, but are not required to do so.
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Mentors must pick EITHER Access or Workforce mentorship in 2026.
To provide the best experience possible for students and mentors, mentors cannot serve as both an Access and Workforce Mentor at this time.
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The mentor handbook is a comprehensive resource to the tnAchieves program and mentor expectations! While the 2026 handbook is still in production, it will be shared out via email as soon as it is completed in the Fall.
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The tnAchieves Mentor Portal is a one-stop resource where mentors can review their students, their contact information and key updates related to their college-going status.
This resource provides a real time look at where students stand and can be leveraged to provide timely reminders and updates to your assigned students.
Current mentors can click here to access the mentor portal! New 2026 mentors will receive access to the mentor portal after being paired in January 2026.
The tnAchieves Mentor Hall of Fame recognizes mentors who have shown unwavering dedication to supporting students and engaging with tnAchieves programs in their community. While all mentors contribute significantly, the inductees below have been longtime champions of this work, consistently ensuring tnAchieves students are supported in their pursuit of a post-secondary credential. We are deeply grateful for their enduring partnership.
A new class is inducted into the Mentor Hall of Fame each fall.
Mentor
Hall of Fame
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Debbie Adams - Sequatchie County
Rebecca Ashford - Hamilton/Knox County
Janice Bettis - Sevier County
Veenita Bisaria - Knox County
Randy Boyd - Knox County
Ricky Boyd - Obion County
Karen Bowyer - Dyer County
John Cagle - Jefferson County
Dan Caldwell - Rutherford County
Owen Driskill - Anderson/Knox County
Beth Duffield - Rutherford County
Lindsay Frilling - Obion County
Janice Goldthreate - Shelby County
Matthew Hunter - Hamblen/Hawkins County
Shanna Jackson - Davidson County
Tish Jones - Hamblen County
Youlanda Jones - Lauderdale County
Michael Laman - Knox County
Kelly Lancaster - Rutherford County
Mark Luttrell - Shelby County
Allen Lutz - Roane County
Greg Martz - Humphreys County
Christy Newman - Blount County
Don Polley - Gibson/Madison County
Mike Ragsdale - Knox County
Rich Ray - Knox County
Mischelle Simcox - Johnson County
Michael Torrence - Coffee/Putnam County
Kasey Vatter - Knox/Sumner County
Cliff Wightman - Cumberland County
Tim Williams - Knox County
Anthony Wise - Knox County
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Callie Archer - Anderson County
Julie Bennett - Marion County
Jim Barrott - Hamilton County
Bill Brittain - Hamblen County
Jake Bynum - Weakley County
Wayne Ellington - Williamson County
Jerry Faulkner - Sumner County/Blount County
Nick Grabar - Sullivan County
Troy Grant - Wilson County
David Gregory - Sumner County
Samantha Gutter - Davidson County
Tracy Hall - Shelby County
Cissy Holt - Giles County
Janet Jentilet - Knox County
Laura Monks - Lincoln County
Fran Odom - Shelby County
DeJuan Parker - Shelby County
Misty Rosser-White - Shelby County
Robin Sealy - Tipton County
Zach Sheets - Campbell County
Jayme Simmons - Davidson County
Marvin Stewart - Jefferson County
Paul Stumb - Wilson County
Glenn Swift - Knox County/Campbell County
Danni Varlan - Knox County
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Linda Barclay – Obion County
John Becker – Knox County
Marlin Curnutt – Grainger County
Beth Duggar – Marion County
Brittany Ford – Knox County
Kris Frye – Loudon County
Steven Gentile – Davidson County
Michael Harrison – Sumner County
Carissa Hoitenga – Shelby County
Lesli Lee – Shelby County
James Mantooth – Weakley County
Dana Peterka – Roane County
Yvonne Schlangen – Dickson County
Avery Swinson – Hamblen County
Leigh Anne Touzeau – Knox County
Dennis Tumlin – Rhea County
Patrick Wade – Rutherford County
Christopher Whaley – Roane County
CONTACT US
CONTACT US
Have questions or need help? Baylor Atkins serves as the Director of Mentors and would love to help!