You were instrumental in launching the mentorship pilot program as part of the Women’s Leadership Network (WLN). Please introduce the program, what it does, and who it targets.
Our current program is aimed at employees in career stages of Manager and above with the goal of retaining, advancing, and supporting our women leaders. We launched in August 2020 in select cities throughout North America and have seen the value of mentorship in bringing people together during this difficult year. In addition to the logistical support of managing 85 mentor/mentee relationships, we host monthly mentorship events in order to foster connections, networking, and learning amongst participants. In Q2 2021, we plan to expand this mentorship program to PS women leaders across North America!
What made you decide to launch the program?
As leaders, I believe that we are all responsible for growing and nurturing our people. I personally am passionate about mentoring others and helping them to realize their own potential, especially women leaders.
In 2019, I participated in the first-ever Fellowship in Transformational Leadership (FiTL), a global PS executive leadership program that consciously selected equitable gender percentages for its cohort. The fellowship follows the rigor of an executive MBA-style program to enable participants to become Digital Business Transformation (DBT) leaders. Our diverse cohort aligned on the need to scale diversity and promote women leadership beyond the FiTL program. Soon after our year-long program ended, COVID-19 hit which escalated the need even further. I knew from my first-hand experience that our women leaders needed support and mentorship to tide over these tough times, now more than ever. I chose to see the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to be the pathfinder and created a vision for the program.