Mentor Program Forges Lasting Bonds

 Mentors and mentees celebrated the completion of the Mentor Partnership Program at a ceremony last week at the COC. From left to right: Mentee Amber Tarrac, a Legislative Assistant II in the Office of Supervisor Dianne Jacob; Mentor Dennis Gibson, Assistant Treasurer-Tax Collector; and Mentee Mavette Sadile, a Departmental Technology Systems Specialist for the Treasurer-Tax Collector.

One pair read the headline-grabbing, bestselling book “Lean In,” by Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, and then talked about their impressions. They also learned about how to read body language.

Another duo came to rely on each other for advice about both the professional and personal. They became friends and plan to stay in touch.

The most common refrain expressed by participants in this year’s Mentor Partnership Program was an appreciation for the candor and honesty shared in one-on-one meetings. Mentees said they loved learning both the successes and mistakes made over their mentors’ years of experience on the job.

In all, more than 200 County employees were recognized Thursday at a ceremony marking the completion of the second round of the program.

CAO Helen Robbins-Meyer delivered the keynote address, explaining that her own career had been heavily influenced by a mentor from a previous job years earlier. She shared some pieces of wisdom she learned then, including the importance of setting bold goals, staying curious on the job and being able to distill your goals and messages in a succinct way. She said her mentor also emphasized personal ethics, and the idea that they are the only thing you spend every single minute of every single day with for the rest of your life.  

“Here I am, years later, still thinking about these things today and I think the same thing will happen to you as you reflect back on the last six months and what has hopefully been a good pairing for you,” Robbins-Meyer said.

Started last year, the program is aimed at helping the County’s next generation of leaders and managers reach their career goals. The program matches up mentors and mentees, and the pairs proceed to meet one-on-one for a minimum of four hours a month over the course of six months. The program won a 2013 NACo Achievement Award.

Department of Environmental Health Director Jack Miller, who acted as a mentor in the program, spoke with Helmer Rodriguez, a Senior Real Property Agent in the Department of General Services, following last week's ceremony. Rodriquez was a mentee in the program.

As Baby Boomers begin to retire in increasing numbers, including many County employees, the Mentor program helps ensure a diverse, well-qualified pool of internal candidates are ready to step into those roles. Mentors say they also learn a great deal through the experience.

In remarks at the start of the ceremony Thursday, Human Resources Director Don Turko said this may represent the official end of this round of the mentor program, but that he hoped the relationships formed over the prior months would carry on.

“For mentors, being a mentor really never stops, it is a continuing commitment,” he said. “And hopefully for mentees, this is the beginning of a journey of self-discovery and growth that leads each of you to become a mentor yourself one day.”

Plans are in the works for another session of the Mentor Partnership Program next year. The video below, produced by the County Communications Office, features some of this year’s participants.