106. How to Find a Mentor with Veronica Conforme, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Greenhouse E3

How can you find a mentor?

For this Women of Color Rise episode, I speak with Veronica Conforme, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Greenhouse E3, a national nonprofit developing diverse pipelines of future education leaders. Veronica describes herself as a rebel—she turned down her father’s advice to become an accountant and instead set out to change the world. Her career includes serving as COO of the NYC Department of Education, leading UP Education Network in Massachusetts, and serving as Chancellor of the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan. 

Veronica credits mentorship as a key to her success—but not as luck. It came through clarity, purpose, and values-aligned work. “You have to be really clear about what you’re trying to achieve,” she says. “I grew up in the South Bronx, saw inequity firsthand, and knew I wanted to disrupt systems and change outcomes for communities like mine.”

Because she led with purpose, mentors found her through the work. “I wasn’t from the education sector, but when I helped principals rethink how to use their budgets to serve their communities, people noticed. They’d say, ‘Come work with us.’ That’s where mentorship happened—in the work, through shared values.”

Veronica offers this advice for finding a mentor:

1. Get clear on your mission. What change do you want to make in the world?

2. Be open. Stay open to help, new relationships, and new perspectives—even if they come from unexpected places.

3. Do the work. Lead with your values, show what you’re about, and opportunities will follow.

4. Make it mutual. Mentorship should be a two-way street. “You’re not only pouring into me,” she says. “I’m bringing something to the table too.”

Thank you, Veronica, for your leadership and your wisdom.

Get full show notes and more information here:https://analizawolf.com/episode-106-how-to-find-a-mentor-with-veronica-conforme-co-founder-and-co-ceo-of-greenhouse-e3