The program paired volunteer members of the A&F senior leadership team with A&F employees seeking a mentor.
Photo: Front row: Jahmoy Colquhoun, Nicole Palmore; Back row: Anna Borgerding, Danielle Hill, Shakiara Seals, Krishauna Greene, Scott Bitner.
The first-ever Administration and Finance (A&F) Mentorship Program graduated its first cohort of participants on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. The program paired volunteer members of A&F senior leadership team with A&F employees seeking a mentor. The graduating class consisted of Jahmoy Colquhoun, Krishauna Greene, Danielle Hill, Nathan Hollaway, and Shakiara Seals.
“The idea came about during a discussion in one of the administrative professionals’ group meetings,” said Latoya Ludd, manager, Business Operations. “We asked the group, ‘What could the A&F leadership team do to help with your career goals?’ One of the requests that came up was job shadowing and/or mentoring. It made a ton of sense, so we took the idea to the leadership team in our very next meeting, and the rest is history.”
The A&F program was different than other mentoring programs in several significant ways. First, it is based on one-on-one connections, as opposed to a group setting. Second, the mentor/mentee pairings all come from within a single division (A&F) allowing for relevant and specific connections within the division. Thirdly, the program incorporates A&F's guiding principles when possible.
At the start of the program, the mentors and mentees each filled out a form that outlined their professional areas of interest, their work history and goals, and their interpersonal strengths. Once the pairings were made, the individual duos were left to determine how the relationship would evolve.
For six months, each pair of mentors and mentees met individually. Since each pairing had its own goals, objectives, and experiences, they were free to find what worked for their pairing. The goals ranged from improving time management and organization skills to gaining self-confidence and self-advocacy.
At the decidedly informal graduation, each of the mentees spoke about what the program meant to them. In their own words:
NATHAN HOLLAWAY, administrative assistant II: My time with my mentor, Scott Bitner [deputy chief financial officer and vice president for finance and auxiliary services], gave me both a lot of useful information and tools in managing and maximizing my time. I liked seeing how he dealt with his workload, which often seemed to be a lot; it helped me feel better when facing a high volume at work. These are lessons that I will use in work and in my daily life, too. I would say to anyone interested in the next round to have a good idea of what you want out of it. Anyone who mentors in this program is highly knowledgeable. But they also have limited schedules so it’s good to have a goal to shape the direction of your time together.
SHAKIRA SEALS, administrative assistant I: I already knew Latoya Ludd before she was my mentor. After getting to hear her story, she asked directly, “So what are we doing, what are some goals you want to hit?” I confessed that I didn't know where to start, but I wanted to learn to advocate for myself so I could put myself in a position to move forward. Without hesitating she said, “Great, let’s set a meeting with your supervisor.” This made me nervous, but I trusted her. But after working together for months, the meeting with my supervisor came. I was scared! But after I finished, my supervisor said, “Shakira you’re right, let’s start on the paperwork.” My new title became official this summer.
DANIELLE HILL, program senior specialist: I got Dr. Dawn Rhodes [chief business and finance officer and senior vice president] as my mentor. I was excited, but I was also terrified. She's very commanding and I was nervous. Our first meeting was amazing; she was welcoming and gracious and it was easy to talk to her. I had to share my thoughts, my feelings, my thoughts on my job, regardless of if they were good or bad. She had great feedback for me. Communication was my main focus, and learning to speak publicly was my goal. Per Dr. Rhodes, my program wasn’t confined to work, and she gave me a couple of challenges outside of work. She also spoke with my supervisor. Suddenly in meetings, the phrase, “Danielle's going to express this” or “Danielle will now tell us about that” was cropping up all the time. And I hated it! But I wasn’t mad. It pushed me outside my comfort zone. Well, a couple of weeks ago, I had to speak in front of a group of 50 students. Solo. My manager didn't come, nobody in my department was there, and I was on my own speaking to these students. My nerves were buzzing. But the program gave me a lot of confidence in myself, and I did it.
JAHMOY COLQUHOUN, program management specialist: I had Nicole Palmore [executive director of equity, diversity, and inclusion], and right off the bat, we connected on a lot of stuff! I have social anxiety, and my mentor confided in me that she also suffered from social anxiety. This really surprised me. She and I came up with a lot of the tips and tricks that she used, that I could use too. She gave me things I incorporated into meetings before going into them. During our time together, I was even able to start shadowing for a new career path and landed an interview.
KRISHAUNA GREENE, program management specialist: I thoroughly enjoyed my experience! My mentor was Anna Borgerding [assistant vice president of facilities and operations] and I received valuable guidance and experience. I have gained confidence and motivation through her, and plan to carry that forward to help me reach my goals. It’s hard for me to speak publicly, like right now, this is overwhelming. She helped me understand what my strengths were, things that I've probably overlooked for years by myself, and how to find my own voice. She also taught me how to navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with having difficult conversations. It was an overall great experience.
Mentors Benefited, Too
The benefits were not limited to the mentees. Bitner found that the help went both ways. “I found myself looking at my own habits before I shared or made a recommendation. So, there was a lot of self-learning for me throughout the process.”
Borgerding added to the idea: “I found it was beneficial for myself. Not only did it help me in growing my network, but also in understanding everyone else's roles and how their experiences shape their outlook. Everyone’s perspective is going to be unique and I'm grateful for that.”
Palmore said she found herself doing a lot of “valuable reading” before each meeting.
So, was the program a success? Measuring soft skills can be challenging, and gauging the success of these types of programs can be an exercise in conjecture. That said, the anecdotal evidence started piling up even before the graduation. Within the group of five, there have been multiple promotions and goals achieved, and an enthusiastic call for a second round of mentees to start in 2025.
(NOTE: Mentee comments have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.)