About Us
The Parenthood Advantage is a leadership and workplace consultancy that helps organizations unlock the often-overlooked strengths working parents bring to their roles. We believe that parenthood builds critical skills — resilience, empathy, focus, and adaptability — that translate directly into effective leadership and high performance.
Our mission is simple: to reshape how companies view and support employees through the parenting journey, and in doing so, build stronger teams, more thoughtful leadership, and workplaces where people thrive.
We partner with organizations ready to move beyond outdated assumptions and embrace a modern, human-centered approach to work. Whether through live workshops, on-demand learning, or tailored coaching, our services are designed to meet both the needs of the business and the realities of parenting.
What We Offer
Coaching for employees
before, during, and after parental leave
Manager training
to support team transitions and retention
Live workshops
on supporting working parents and building parent-inclusive cultures
E-learning modules
for scalable, flexible learning across the organization
Culture assessments and strategic advisory
based on real-world insights
Keynotes and executive briefings
grounded in current research
Our Belief
Parenthood doesn’t hold people back — it grows them forward. And when organizations recognize that, everyone benefits.
Our Team
Mason Donovan
Mason Donovan is the co-founder of The Parenthood Advantage, a consultancy focused on helping organizations build cultures that value and support working parents. He brings over twenty years of experience advising companies on leadership, inclusion, well-being, and employee engagement, with a background that spans talent acquisition, performance development, and the design of parent-supportive workplace practices.
Before launching The Parenthood Advantage, Mason served as Managing Director of Client Solutions for Personified and later as a principal with The Dagoba Group, a New England based leadership consultancy. His work centers on the belief that parenthood strengthens core leadership skills and drives workplace performance. Mason is a certified Wellness Coach specializing in major life transitions.
Mason is the author of The Golden Apple, and co-author of The Parenthood Advantage, The Inclusion Dividend and SET for Inclusion.
Amber Mayes
Amber is an accomplished organizational consultant and executive coach with 20 years of experience enabling organizations and individuals to learn and grow to their fullest potential. She specializes in leadership team development, executive coaching, and women’s personal and professional development. Her passion is creating environments where individuals, teams and organizations can transform and break through to unparalleled performance.
Elayne Fluker
Elayne is an award-winning entrepreneur who specializes in helping women leaders find their voice, control their own narratives and powerfully share their stories. As a former media executive, Elayne served as a senior editor and writer for some of the largest publishing companies in the world, as well as for niche media outlets that served Black women and Latinx women. Elayne’s work is at the intersection of personal branding and employee development, combining her many years of storytelling and consulting.
Ana Duarte McCarthy
Ana has decades of experience as a executive in the Diversity and Inclusion field for both profit and non-profits. Ana was the Managing Director and Chief Diversity Officer, Citi,, and led the development and integration of Citi’s global workforce diversity strategy for hiring and developing diverse talent, fostering an inclusive work environment and ensuring management accountability. Ana was also the Senior Director of Development, Corporate Partners, Forté, working with 60+ companies on their talent and diversity objectives to increase women in business leadership.
Ama Hooks
Ama has over 10 years’ experience in corporate Human Resources management, DEI consulting (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) and training for Fortune 100, non profit, and university clients. This experience includes HR management, strategic DEI planning/implementation, career development, culture change management, and creating & executing employee retention programs. She has facilitated national & international focus groups, developed and implemented cultural assessments, and developed DEI policies and plans.
Mark Kaplan
Mark Kaplan is the co-founder of The Parenthood Advantage and brings decades of experience helping organizations strengthen leadership and workplace culture. He has been consulting since 1986 and has advised companies on management development, executive coaching, team effectiveness, organizational assessment, and strategies that support inclusive and high performing workplaces.
Before launching The Parenthood Advantage, Mark was the CEO of MGK Consulting and later a principal with The Dagoba Group, a New England based leadership consultancy. His work centers on practical approaches that help leaders understand behavior, improve collaboration, and create environments where employees thrive.
Mark is the co-author of The Parenthood Advantage, The Inclusion Dividend, and SET for Inclusion.