December 2016 : Committee Spotlight — Mentoring

Yvette Carranza, Communications Committee Member

By Yvette Carranza, Communications Committee Member

What is a mentor? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a mentor as: a trusted counselor or guide

Don't we all wish we had a trusted counselor when we are facing different challenges in our careers? When we enter a new position, jump into a new industry, or have a challenging task on our plate where we could use a little wisdom or guidance?

The OWA Mentoring committee is here to help. This committee is focused on enabling mentoring among OWA members with a goal of adding value and enriching your experience by facilitating mentoring relationships.

How They Do It:

1. The entire membership receives an email call the "One Minute Mentor" twice a month. They are filled with great advice, personal stories, and key take away points.
2. Tuesday Talks — a new feature that just launched, this monthly webinar series features some incredibly talented and successful speakers that are keen on sharing their journeys with us. The first two "Tuesday Talk" sessions featured Michelle Banks and Jill Franze, and were incredibly insightful. If you didn't get a chance to tune in, don't fret! You will have access to each of these webinars via the OWA website. So far they have been a homerun! For more information on upcoming Tuesday Talk series and an archive of previous programs, please visit the OWA Mentoring webpage.

How to Get Involved:

Would you like be a mentor? It's easy! Simply email Deborah Myres, the mentoring committee chair, and ask to volunteer. They will work with you to match you to a mentee or a mentor. A mentor/mentee relationship can be short term or long term, and you can connect over a specific challenge or facilitate a longer-term relationship for your career path. Either way, you will likely develop an incredible friendship along the way, after all, we can never have too many friends!

Millennials — have you thought of becoming a mentor? You may be new to a position, or even new to the industry, but you likely have important skills that can be passed along to other women within the OWA. The younger generation is extremely tech and social media savvy, and those are skills that are extremely valuable.

Would you like to be a mentee? You guessed it, this is also easy. Just email the mentoring committee, and highlight the challenge and/or skills you are hoping for assistance with. They will work diligently to match you to a volunteer mentor that meets your individual needs.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to connect with the mentors and mentees within the OWA, or pass along the wisdom and even fun stories of things you have experienced in your career. If you have any questions for the mentoring committee, please contact Deborah Myres, who is not only a Board Member and an all-around terrific human being, she is also the chair of this important committee and is dedicated to helping women find value in their OWA experience.

Deborah Myres
Email Address:
Work Phone: 972-512-9012

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