“There are many opportunities today for mentoring. We can work with the very young, boys, girls, those new to the country or, truthfully, any other sub section of the population we wish to, if we are willing to work hard enough to find the right resource. I know, I think I’ve done it all. But what seems to be missing is the full circle connection: does the program target a population with a population of leaders to accomplish a goal that is interesting to them both? Often, not.
What drew me to the idea of Women Mentor Atlanta is the full circle. This was women who were reaching out to women to fill a need that had real affects in the corporate community. It is about support, yes, but a specific support that men have that, even today, women lack in the workplace. It is about exploring getting from here to there and navigating the very real pitfalls that come with pursuing a career with balance.
It is also hard work. Putting the program together was hard work. But it should be, it is so vitally important. And truthfully, I didn’t really know how important until I met my protégé, because the world is the same as it was when I started out, and very different. All the concerns are there. ‘What if I miss an opportunity, what if I make the wrong choices? How do I get into the conversations that matter without appearing pushy or bossy?’ and to complicate all of this ‘How do I do it when the world is moving so fast I don’t even have time to think?’ Anyone can offer advice here but the most valued viewpoint is that of someone who has, and still is, asking the same questions.”
Elizabeth Labbe-Webb
“Mentors are a valuable resource for any young professional – offering advice, experience, and focus, but it is Women Mentor Atlanta who take this to the next level among women. WMA matched me with an excellent person who I have been able to not only seek advice from professionally, but personally, from a woman’s perspective. This has benefited me greatly as a new MBA graduate re-entering the workforce. Prior to our ‘match’ I had specific qualities I wanted to enhance within myself, and my mentor has been a key person in helping me grow in these areas. I am excited to be a part of such a phenomenal idea and program!”
Nirvana Archer
“Sometimes all you need is for someone to tell you, it’s going to be okay, this is just a part of your journey. That’s all I needed to hear. I’ve always been told about the importance of having a mentor. However, along my journey it seems as though I could never find one. Oddly enough even when I asked people to guide me either they had little to no interest or simply not enough time. Still I found this to be strange. Even though my own schedule grew more and more productive, I always found time to serve when younger people asked me for my guidance. I began to think maybe I just wasn’t meant to have a mentor. As I hit roadblocks, setbacks, and diverged paths, I began to grow more anxious and uncertain. Then I met the creators of Women Mentor Atlanta. I thought to myself why not? After I was matched, my mentor and I exchanged calls simply learning about each other. One day while at my business school internship, I had a moment, some might call this a panic attack. Out of nowhere I began to question everything I was doing. Did I make the right choice to resign from my job and go to business school? Did my personal mission make sense? Would I even be successful in this path I had chosen? In that panic I text my mentor. Almost immediately she told to me to step outside and call her. She talked me through the entire process, reassured me, and even gave me some tough love but she reminded me that it’s going to be okay, and this was all a part of my journey. A simple phrase, a simple reminder, created a lasting impact. When women come together to support each other something great happens and for that I am grateful. Thank you!”
Jewel Thompson
Training day for the first pilot program of Women Mentor Atlanta had been a goal of the steering committee for months. Everything that we had worked on and discussed in detail was finally scheduled for Saturday October 3, 2015 in the offices of the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The only thing we did not plan for were the storms that hit Atlanta the night before and had knocked out the power in the building. We were expecting 45 people to arrive at 9:00am. No power, which meant no lights, no elevator and the space was on the 9th floor, no gates opening for the parking deck, no air conditioning, no power for the visual presentations.
With some quick thinking and a little ingenuity, PLAN B. Several people stood outside redirecting the cars to the back entrance of the parking that was open. There was a communal meeting room on the lobby level that had a generator so there was minimal lighting. We ordered coffee delivered and a few brave souls were willing to get their “steps” in to get drinks from the Chronicle’s office while we set up the food outside of the meeting room. EVERYONE was flexible, and some literally more than others as there were not enough chairs, people were sitting on the floor.
Ed and Enid welcomed everyone and Ed told the group why he was so personally invested in mentoring young women, a great tribute to his mother. Alicia Philipp told a story about how she attributes her success much to her first mentor in Atlanta. Pam Beckerman led us in an exercise for each of us to get in touch with ourselves and in turn our mentors/mentees to begin the relationship process. Michele Mobley and Hodge Golson spoke about personality traits and how these could interact in the relationships, something to give everyone in the room some perspective in moving forward. We all worked in our personalized workbooks and discussed our goals for the program and the mentor/mentee relationships.
Separately, mentors and mentees were given the opportunity, in a safe environment, to discuss their expectations and concerns moving forward with their partners. This information was later evaluated and created some changes for moving forward with the matching process and future training sessions.
We more than managed, we worked through the obstacles and created an intimate setting that worked and certainly makes for a good story about our first training program – one that no one who participated will be able to forget. In retrospect, the power being out added more value to the morning and shed some light for everyone that we may not have been able to see otherwise.
Angie Allen, Claire Bowen, Enid Draluck and Marcia Jacobson had been working on a program for mentoring young women for the past 2 years which resulted in a women’s leadership class at the J. Mack Robinson College at Georgia State University. Realizing this would only reach a limited amount of students they began to consider something that had the potential to reach as many as students and in addition, young career women as possible in the metro Atlanta area. Discussing this with other likeminded community members, it was suggested that they meet with Ed Baker, then Publisher of the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The initial meeting was in May of 2014 to discuss the idea of creating a women’s leadership ecosystem in the city of Atlanta. This discussion and subsequently many more after, have led to the creation of what is now called, Women Mentor Atlanta.
After several months of planning, a launch event was held October 15, 2014 at Junior Achievement’s Chick-fil- A Foundation Discovery Center. Over 75 invited guests were in attendance, potential stakeholders from the non-profit, business and civic sectors from around metro Atlanta. Ed and Enid kicked off the meeting with the reasoning behind the project and the projected impact on the business community in the metro area along with their personal investment in the initiative.
A panel discussion led by Alicia Philipp, President of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, with Danielle Taylor of the Carter Center and Juanita Velez of UPS, young career women who would be beneficiaries of this program and the target demographic, emphasized the want and need for mentoring young women to advance in their careers.
Danita Knight recapped the information and facilitated the question and answer period with great questions from the audience, many that could be answered and others that the catalyst group had not considered and were extremely beneficial in moving the project forward.
This meeting was to introduce the community to the initiative and to get buy in. The “ask” was for members of a steering committee to continue the work and to move the project forward. Success to the catalyst group before the meeting was defined as getting twelve people to commit to being on the steering committee. Success for the day was redefined when 33 people volunteered to be on the steering committee.
Fast forward, months and months of steering committee meetings, committee meetings, and conference calls, a pilot program was put in place almost a year after the launch meeting, October 3, 2015 with 20 mentees and 18 mentors.
The WMA Experience
Mentoring young females ages 20 -30 by female executives to provide the tools needed for advancement up the ladder and into the C–Suite, leading eventually to the Boardrooms