ACE Mentor Program of Greater Boston Raises Over $500,000 at Annual Event
Group awarded first annual Mike Tecci Award in memory of founder, former president and design firm executive
ACE Mentor Program of Greater Boston raised more than $535,000 at its 12th annual networking and fundraising event. More than 400 attendees from about 160 companies and organizations gathered June 4 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 group's former board member, president and founder and associate principal for Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, who died last year—was awarded to Yordy Tesfaye, project manager at Shawmut Design and Construction. Tesfaye, an ACE alumna and current mentor, was “recognized for her outstanding 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 affiliate 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 across the metro area during the 2025-26 school year, including scholarship recipient 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 opportunities the ACE Mentor Program provides students across 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 mentorship, scholarships, career exploration opportunities and connections with professionals who can help shape their future.”
To learn more about the ACE Mentor Program of Greater Boston visit https://acegreaterboston.org.
