The People Behind the Platform
We’re here to help you build stronger teams, starting with ours.

Ron Helmer
Chief Executive Officer

Ron Helmer
Chief Executive Officer
As Chief Executive Officer of Mentor Mentee, Ron focuses on building a people-first company. He spends his time shaping our vision, supporting our team, and ensuring we create meaningful connections between mentors and mentees. Ron oversees all facets of the organization, from strategic partnerships to operational excellence, ensuring we deliver measurable value to the businesses and individuals we support.
Ron brings over 20 years of experience leading teams in the technology industry, entrepreneurial mentorship, and the U.S. Navy with a strong focus on empowerment and leadership development. These diverse experiences have shaped his commitment and focus on mentoring, coaching, and building systems that elevate both people and performance.
Ron is most proud of his family–married to a brilliant woman and father to three smart, independent, and humorous daughters. When he's not working, Ron’s affinity for speed finds him open road racing or at circuit tracks, cherishing the visceral connection between car and driver.
Favorite Motto: "Great mentorship is less about giving answers and more about asking the right questions."
Jen Grimes
Chief Commercial Officer

Jen Grimes
Chief Commercial Officer
As Chief Commercial Officer, Jen leads and manages Mentor Mentee’s full-funnel revenue strategy, orchestrating seamless digital and physical experiences across the entire buyer journey. She plays a key role in aligning cross-functional teams and turning strategic ideas into measurable results. Jen’s work drives internal performance while ensuring clients experience consistent value and meaningful engagement at every touchpoint.
Jen’s leadership spans marketing, sales, and client success, consistently transforming complex challenges into clear, actionable plans. Passionate about mentorship, Jen takes pride in supporting the professional growth of her team, helping more than 20 associates achieve their career aspirations.
Outside the office, Jen enjoys creating memories with family, attending sporting events, listening to country music, exploring new destinations, golfing, hiking, skiing, and relaxing walks with her three dogs.
Favorite Philosophy: "Focus on what you control."
Samer Damer
Chief Operating Officer

Samer Damer
Chief Operating Officer
As Mentor Mentee’s Chief Operating Officer, Samer leads operational execution and drives strategic initiatives, fueling the company’s growth and success since its inception. With over a decade in software development and operations, Samer blends technical expertise with strategic perspective to deliver scalable solutions that evolve with the needs of our clients and organizations.
His dedication to structured mentorship stems from firsthand experience, recognizing how clear guidance, accountability, and support can turn potential into performance. He understands the ripple effect strong mentorship has, not just on individuals, but on the entire culture and results of an organization.
When not steering company operations, Samer enjoys open road racing–winning 1st place in the 2024 Sandhills Open Road Challenge in the 90MPH average bracket. He’s passionate about automotive projects, traveling with his wife, exploring mountain escapes, and spending quality time with friends and family.
Go-to Inspiration: “The winner ain’t the one with the fastest car, it’s the one who refuses to lose.” – Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Anjelika Surprise
Marketing Manager

Anjelika Surprise
Marketing Manager
As Marketing Manager at Mentor Mentee, Anjelika brings our brand to life through clear messaging and impactful campaigns tailored to the service teams we support. She collaborates closely across departments to align our voice, uncover opportunities, and highlight how structured mentoring directly strengthens technician growth and business performance.
Drawing on family ties to the automotive world and nearly a decade in digital marketing, she bridges industry familiarity with marketing expertise–specializing in SEO, content strategy, and cross-channel campaigns that deliver purposeful storytelling and measurable impact.
Outside the office, Anjelika enjoys traveling, waterside adventures, and spending quality time with her husband, friends, family, and their pup, Moki. Whether it’s exploring new places or unwinding with loved ones, she cherishes creating meaningful moments.
Favorite Reminder: “Believe you can and you're halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Hannah Helmer
Client Success Manager

Hannah Helmer
Client Success Manager
As Client Success Manager, Hannah works with both new and existing clients to ensure they experience measurable value and long-term success with Mentor Mentee. She excels at building meaningful relationships and delivering impactful results through strategic onboarding, client engagement, and ongoing support.
With a strong background in marketing management, event coordination, and relationship development, she brings a proactive and empathetic approach to client partnerships–ensuring every interaction is both personal and productive.
Away from work, Hannah loves spending time with friends, family, and her two dogs. Her favorite activities include reading, hiking, golfing, paddle boarding, fishing, skiing, pickleball, and diving into a great binge-worthy TV series.
Words She Lives By: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
Steve Koelsch
Strategic Solutions Account Executive

Steve Koelsch
Strategic Solutions Account Executive
As Strategic Solutions Account Executive at Mentor Mentee, Steve partners closely with service and operations leaders to develop structured technician training programs that improve retention, ramp-up speed, and drive service profitability. With over 30 years of experience spanning sales, IT staffing, recruitment, and training consultation, he brings a deep understanding of building client trust and delivering measurable outcomes that impact the bottom line.
Steve’s background in medical device training and consultation taught him the importance of aligning development, compliance, and measurable results–an approach he now brings to helping businesses build stronger, more capable teams through effective mentoring. His passion for training and guiding others has been a constant throughout his career and continues to shape the way he supports the service teams we work with.
Outside the office, Steve loves spending time outdoors, whether it’s boating, fishing, camping, golfing, or working on landscaping projects. When he’s not chasing adventure, you’ll find him taking care of his chickens, relaxing with his cat Yoda, and enjoying the simple moments that recharge him.
Favorite Quote: “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” – John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America
Doug Valenti
Strategic Solutions Account Executive

Doug Valenti
Strategic Solutions Account Executive
As Strategic Solutions Account Executive, Doug partners closely with service and operations leaders to develop structured technician training programs that improve retention, ramp-up speed, and drive service profitability. With over 15 years of experience in enterprise sales and customer experience, he’s built a career on aligning people, process, and technology–building relationships and delivering solutions that help teams grow stronger and perform better.
Throughout his career, Doug has worked across diverse industries, helping businesses adopt scalable platforms that deliver measurable results. He credits many of his mentors for showing him the power of leading with integrity, earning trust, and focusing on long-term success. That mindset continues to shape how he supports clients every day bringing a steady, people-first approach to every conversation.
Outside the office, Doug enjoys quality time with his wife and children, coaching baseball, relaxing at the lake, and cheering for all things Kansas City sports. Whether he’s catching a local game or enjoying a weekend getaway, he finds joy in the moments that matter most.
Favorite Quote: “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” – John Wooden
Chris Hager
Strategic Solutions Account Executive

Chris Hager
Strategic Solutions Account Executive
As Strategic Solutions Account Executive at Mentor Mentee, Chris partners closely with service and operations leaders to develop structured technician training programs that improve retention, ramp-up speed, and drive service profitability. He focuses on building trusted relationships and aligning mentoring solutions that create value across every level of the organization.
Celebrating Our Founder
Lirel Holt has spent his career investing in people—from the shop floor to the boardroom. As founder of Mentor Mentee and CARSTAR, and a nationally recognized business and technical mentor, Lirel has helped shape not only the companies he’s built but the lives of those he’s mentored. His decades of experience and deep belief in structured mentorship laid the foundation for everything we do today. Lirel’s impact can be felt across the industry and, more importantly, in the culture of trust, growth, and purpose that drives our team forward.
Lirel Holt
Founder

Lirel Holt
Founder
As Founder of Mentor Mentee, Lirel sincerely believes in the power of structured technical mentoring to support human development and career success. He is a founding mentor and past president of the nationally recognized Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program, with over 30 years of formal experience as both a business and technical mentor.
Lirel’s long-standing impact on the industry earned him recognition as one of the Collision Industry’s 25 most influential leaders of the 20th Century. He was also honored as a mentor by the University of Kansas School of Medicine and is an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
As founder of CARSTAR, Lirel began his career working as a technician through college and remains deeply grateful for the mentors who helped shape his path.
Lirel says it best: “We are at our best when we invest in and help others. Pass it on.”