Nurturing Tomorrow's Leaders: A National Mentor Month Celebration

Career Level: Basic-, intermediate-, and advanced-level career services, university relations and recruiting, and business affiliate professionals
Competency: Mentoring
Fee: FREE (member); $89 (nonmember);

Summary
January is National Mentor Month, a time to honor the incredible impact of mentorship on individuals and communities. To celebrate, we invite you to join us for this dynamic and insightful panel discussion. This webinar brings together a diverse panel of experts, mentors, and mentees from various fields and backgrounds. They will share their personal journeys, experiences, and the transformative power of mentorship in their lives. Their valuable insights, practical advice, and inspiring stories will resonate with mentors, mentees, and anyone interested in the profound impact of mentorship. Whether you are an experienced mentor, a mentee seeking guidance, or someone curious about the benefits of mentorship, this webinar is a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and learn from seasoned professionals. Don't miss out on this chance to celebrate mentorship, gain valuable knowledge, and be inspired to become a mentor or mentee in your own journey towards personal and professional growth.

Following this program, you will be able to:
- Articulate the significance of mentorship in personal and professional development;
- understand the role mentoring has in role in fostering growth and success; and
- identify strategies and best practices for effective communication, goal-setting, and mentorship support.
Presenters

Calvin Williams PhD, Associate VP Advising & Career Services, Indian River State College
Calvin Williams, Ph.D. is a blogger, consultant, inspirational speaker, and authentic leadership advocate with a background in higher education advising and career services. Dr. Williams has experience providing comprehensive career services for students/alumni and coordinated university-wide employer relations at UCF, FSU and IRSC. His knowledge base includes academic advising and military and veteran’s services. He has presented at national, regional, and state conferences on career services, employer relations best practices, and authentic leadership. Dr. Williams also has expertise in advising, staff development, event planning, policy development, fundraising, and facilitation. His research interests are leadership and development, training and employee engagement. He has a Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology, Master of Arts in counseling/human relations, and a Bachelor of Science in psychology. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a systems analyst/instructor and retired after 20 years of dedicated service.

Samara Reynolds, Executive Director, VCU Career Services, Virginia Commonwealth University
Samara Reynolds, M.Ed., has been invested in the field of career development for nearly 20 years at a diverse set of institutions across Virginia, North Carolina, and Washington. She has led the career services office at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) since 2018 and is an active committee member, mentor, presenter, and contributor within the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers (EACE), and Virginia Association of College & Employers (VACE). Samara also previously served as an associate editor for the National Career Development Association's Career Convergence web magazine and President of the North Carolina Career Development Association. She holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Virginia Tech and a Master's in Education in Higher Education Administration from NC State University.

Philip Wilkerson, Employer Engagement Consultant, George Mason University
Philip Wilkerson is an employer engagement consultant at GMU career services. In this role, he serves as a liaison between employers and the GMU community to make sure students, faculty/staff, and alumni are aware of career opportunities, such as jobs and internships. He oversees the following industries: media, arts, entertainment, journalism, public relations, graphic design, sports and recreation, hospitality and tourism, and technology and engineering. In the past, he was awarded "Employee of the Month" for GMU in September 2019, the "Forty under 40” list for GMU Black Alumni, “Forty under Forty” for the Northern Virginia area through the Leadership Center for Excellence, and is a recipient of the "Pillar Award," which is awarded to a GMU staff member who supports Black students. He is also the faculty adviser for the Iota Alpha Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the GMU NAACP chapter. In his free time, he hosts a podcast called Positive Philter which focuses on well-being and Toastmasters.

Jessica Bayer, Head of Customer Success Manager, Qooper Mentoring & Learning Software

Lisa Leong, Senior Program Integration Manager (D&I), Chevron Corporation
Lisa Leong is a program integration manager in Chevron’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Ombuds (DIO) organization. She spends a lot of time in front of audiences, in person as a speaker and teacher, virtually (ditto), and via video (ditto again). She joined DIO in late 2020 after eight years with the Information Technology Company (ITC) and 16 years with the Project Resources Company (PRC) working on CSOC and major capital projects. She started at Chevron in 1988 as a civil engineer.