Photo credit: Julia Krupp Photography.
The ACE Mentor of Greater Boston program presented the inaugural Mike Tecci Mentor of the Year Award to Yordy Tesfaye of Shawmut Design and Construction, an ACE alumnus. (From left to right: Pedro Sifre of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc., Christopher Cheu of Skanska USA Building/President Board ACE and Yordy Tesfaye of Shawmut Design and Construction)
The ACE Mentor of Greater Boston program raised more than $535,000 at its 12th annual fundraising and networking event. more On June 4, more than 400 attendees from around 160 companies and organizations gathered to support the group’s free after-school mentoring program and scholarships for local high school students.
The inaugural Mike Tecci Mentor of the Year Award, created in memory of the former board member, president and founding partner of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, who died last year, was presented to Yordy Tesfaye, project director of Shawmut Design and Construction. Tesfaye, an ACE alumna and current mentor, was “recognized for her exceptional commitment to mentoring students and exemplifying the spirit of service and dedication that Mike brought to ACE throughout his career,” the program said in a statement released after the event.
“Mike was instrumental in helping establish the Boston branch in 2007 and spent nearly two decades mentoring students, recruiting volunteers and expanding opportunities for young people interested in careers in the built environment,” the statement said.
ACE Greater Boston served more than 175 students from nearly 40 high schools in the metro area during the 2025-26 school year, including scholar Xintong Guo, a senior at Boston Latin School, who shared how the program exposed him to the construction industry.
“This event is a powerful reminder of the opportunities the ACE Mentor program provides for students in Greater Boston,” Kristen Hurley, executive director of the ACE Mentor chapter, said in a statement.
Alejandro Miranda of Boylston Properties, event co-chair and chapter president-elect, added that funds raised through the event “will help ensure students continue to have access to mentorships, scholarships, career exploration opportunities and connections with professionals who can help shape their futures.”
For more information about Greater Boston’s ACE Mentor Program, visit https://acegreaterboston.org.
Justin Rice is editor of ENR East.
