About the founders of Mentor Success Academy
Mentor Success Academy was co-founded by Mary Wardlaw, Ed.S., MBA, an early childhood educator since 1992 and founder of The Children’s Center in southwest Michigan, and Rebecca Munlyn, founder and CEO of Inspired Growth, LLC and a leadership and team development consultant with more than 20 years of experience. Together, they created a mentorship-focused training program designed to help strong teachers become confident mentors who grow, support, and retain great educators.
Rebecca Munlyn
Rebecca Munlyn is the co-founder of the Mentor Success Academy as well as the founder and CEO of Inspired Growth, LLC, a consulting firm which partners with organizations to unlock potential and expand capacity of leaders and teams to support healthy organizational growth.
She integrates strategies with neuro-linguistic, data-driven, and research-based tools to facilitate self-awareness, communication, and increased performance. Rebecca is a leader and team development consultant with a proven record as a committed and passionate advocate for creating safe spaces for all voices to be heard and valued. Rebecca is gifted in empowering individuals to identify, access, and leverage individual strengths to create lives free of limits. Rebecca has more than 20 years of diverse coaching and consulting experience, within corporate and nonprofit organizations. Her innovative approach to implementing efficient systems, sustainable processes and navigating adult learning strategies are informed by her undergraduate and graduate degrees, Bachelor of Industrial Engineering (Georgia Tech) and Master of Education (Columbus State University), respectively.
Rebecca has a passion for connection and relationship, which is the foundation upon which the process of self-discovery and empowerment is explored, embraced, and facilitates transformational growth, both professionally and personally.
Mary Wardlaw
Mary Wardlaw is the co-founder of Mentor Success Academy and a lifelong advocate for excellence in early childhood education. Mary began her journey in the field as an assistant preschool teacher in 1992, advancing to lead teacher, program director, and eventually founding The Children's Center in 2002 with just three teachers and 17 students. Today, she leads three thriving locations in southwest Michigan, serving over 250 children with a team of 80 teachers.
In 2019, Mary expanded her impact by founding National CDA Training, helping hundreds of early childhood educators earn their Child Development Associate (CDA) credentials. She holds a bachelor's degree in Child Development (2004), a master's degree in Business Administration (2006), and completed her Education Specialist Degree in 2025. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education.
Since 2023, Mary's research has centered on the training, mentoring, and retention of high-quality early childhood teachers—work that inspired the creation of Mentor Success Academy to develop the next generation of confident, capable, and resilient educators.