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Driving Career Growth Through Mentoring: Why It Matters and How the Platform Helps

Fee: FREE (member); FREE (nonmember);

Audience: All

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Kick off NACE’s first session in a three-part Mentoring Month series! Discover how mentoring drives professional growth, strengthens networks, and supports early talent. Hear insights from NACE Mentor Award winners, then learn from a mentor and a mentee who will each share their experiences using the NACE Mentor Program powered by Qooper. Wrap up with a live demo of the platform to see how mentoring can come to life in your own organization.

Summary
Explore the power of mentoring for professional growth, career services, and early talent recruitment in this first session of NACE’s three-part mentoring series. This session highlights why mentoring is a critical tool for building connections, expanding networks, and developing skills that advance careers.

Hear from two NACE Mentor Award winners who will share key practices and outcomes that demonstrate the impact of mentoring. Then, a mentor and a mentee currently using the NACE Mentor Program powered by Qooper will discuss how the platform has helped them grow professionally, strengthen networks, and enhance their practice.

Finally, see the Qooper platform in action with a live demo, showcasing tools for creating strong matches, setting goals, communicating effectively, and tracking progress—giving attendees a clear look at how to bring mentoring to life in their own organizations.

Following this program, you will be able to:
- Explain why mentoring is a powerful tool for career growth, professional development, and community building;
- Recognize the impact of mentoring relationships through examples from NACE Mentor Award winners and active program participants;
- Identify how mentoring supports connection, skill-building, and career advancement for both mentors and mentees;
- Navigate the NACE Mentor Program platform (Qooper) to create strong matches, set goals, communicate effectively, and track progress; and
- Take actionable steps to join, re-engage with, or maximize participation in the NACE Mentor Program.
Presenters

Christy Ball, Associate Professor of Practice, The University of Arizona
Christy M. Ball is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Psychology at the University of Arizona. With more than 20 years of experience in higher education, she specializes in career and professional development, integrating evidence-based practices into her teaching to prepare students for meaningful, future-ready pathways. Her work is defined by a deep commitment to mentoring, which she intentionally embeds within her courses to support students’ growth, confidence, and career readiness. In 2025, her dedication was recognized at the college, university, and national levels, including being named Mentor of the Year by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Christy continues to advance career readiness initiatives and contributes to national conversations on experiential learning and workforce development.

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. He was named NACE Mentor of the Year in 2024 and is the recipient of a variety of awards and honors, including North Virginia 40 Under 40, the EACE Presidential Citation, GMU Black Alumni Forty Under 40 under 40, and 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.

Luis Amaro, Partner In Charge, People, Noviam Inc
Luis is a graduate recruitment leader with over 15 years of experience building and scaling early talent and university partnership teams for global organizations. He is the Co-Founder of Noviam, where he creates pathways that help emerging professionals access high-growth careers, and actively mentor’s students and early-career professionals seeking to break into competitive industries. He serves on the NACE Board of Directors and has contributed to multiple affinity groups and committees, including the Individuals Serving and Recruiting Hispanic, Latin@X & HSI Students Affinity Group and the NACE Access & Opportunity Committee. He has also spoken at numerous NACE webinars as a panelist and moderator. Through mentorship, advocacy, and partnership, he continues to champion the next generation of leaders.

Emily Cronin, Employer Relations Coordinator, Alfred University
I'm Em Cronin, Employer Relations Coordinator for Alfred University. A native of the Village of Alfred, I spent the last 10 years in the American Southwest working in education and non-profit development. I utilize skills in teamwork, professionalism, & communication to develop connections and manage our employer relationships. I'm passionate about industry and economic development initiatives and showcasing the unique strengths of my community.

Omer Usanmaz, Founder, Qooper Mentoring & Learning Software

Larry Jackson, Senior Associate Director, Career Education, University of California - Berkeley
Larry Jackson is senior associate director for career education at Berkeley Career Engagement at University of California, Berkeley. Larry oversees a 17-person team that provides 1:1 career support and programming to Berkeley undergraduate students, graduate students and postdocs across 8 colleges. A recognized career services leader, he served on the NACE Board of Directors and won NACE’s Rising Star Award. He is also an experienced speaker that has contributed to the professional development of career services practitioners by serving as faculty for NACE's Management Leadership Institute and presenting at regional, national, and global conferences including NACE, Midwest ACE, NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, and the Global Career Services Summit.

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Driving Career Growth Through Mentoring: Why It Matters and How the Platform Helps

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Presenters

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