Mentoring Reflections: Sandra Arriaga and Julie Hawk

Written by: Mentoring Committee

Registration for the 2024-2025 Mentoring Program is currently open on Wisdom Share for all NORDP members to sign up as a mentor, a mentee, or both. New participants need to create an account on Wisdom Share. Returning participants should follow the instructions available online from the NORDP Mentoring Committee. Deadline to apply for the 2024-2025 mentoring program closes on Friday, May 17, 2024.

In this installment of the Mentoring Reflections, we caught up with mentee-mentor pair Sandra Arriaga (Mentee) and Julie Hawk (Mentor) from the 2023-2024 cohort of the Mentoring Program to share their experiences with NORDP.

Sandra Arriaga is a Research Development Specialist with the Stanford Research Development Office and has spent the entirety of her career working in higher education. After years of teaching college composition, running academic programs, and writing proposals on the side (with a brief stint living and working in Amman, Jordan), she transitioned to the field of research development full time. Sandra has a Master’s degree in English with a concentration in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and brings a background in education, social science, and applied linguistics to her work supporting STEM faculty from across the university on their proposals. Outside of work, Sandra enjoys traveling and yoga, and is learning to play drums.

Julie Hawk obtained her PhD in English from Georgia State University in 2012 and spent the next few years teaching at Georgia Tech and then the University of West Georgia, where she discovered that she could translate the skills from her training to a Research Development context. Since 2016, she has been working with researchers on a variety of kinds and sizes of grants. She currently works at Emory University School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics, where she deals mostly with large biomedical grants. However, her experience in both an emerging research institution and at an engineering powerhouse provides a wide skillset and range of disciplinary directions for grant seeking.

Q1: What influenced you to apply to be a mentor and a mentee for the 2023-2024 NORDP Mentoring Program?

SA: I am relatively new to research development, having started my current position in 2021 after a few years writing and editing proposals outside of my previous full-time role. Initially, I prioritized getting to know my immediate colleagues, supervisor, and institution while taking advantage of the many resources that NORDP offers. Once I had solid footing in my current role, I felt ready to join the NORDP’s mentoring program because I had heard wonderful things about it from my co-workers.

JH: I have been doing Research Development for several years, and last year I had a wonderful experience as a mentee in this program. Not only did the mentoring relationship provide a touchstone for learning more, but it also showed me that I was more ready to be a mentor than I thought. So I decided to pay it forward and sign up as a mentor.

Q2: What is your favorite part about your relationship?

SA: Julie offers great perspective and is just plain fun to talk to. We have a lot in common and both of us have our cats make a guest appearance more often than not. Her thoughtful advice and observations always make me feel energized after our calls, no matter what is going on for me in work and life.

JH: Sandra and I have a lot in common, including our educational backgrounds and our past teaching experience. These commonalities allow for easy analogies when we are talking through various experiences in our work lives. Sometimes I forget that I’m officially her mentor, as I certainly get as much out of the mentoring relationship as a mentee is supposed to. It truly is a bidirectional exchange.

Q3: How has participation in the Mentoring Program helped broaden your horizons about Research Development in general and/or affected your daily work in particular?

SA: Because I’ve only held one “official” RD position so far, I can sometimes lose sight of the fact that so many of us experience the same kinds of challenges and that others have dealt with them before me. Julie brings an outside point of view from within a similar professional culture, adding a voice of reason and experience which helps me reflect more deliberately. Through talking with Julie, I also learned more about her experience as an NORDP Consultant and became more interested in that type of work.

JH: Both as a mentee last year and a mentor this year, I have learned so much about the varied ways to approach RD work as well as the similarities that underlie all those variations. Working in a department as the sole RD professional, a network of colleagues is something I must intentionally cultivate. Participating in the mentoring program is one very important way that I do that, and it is extremely valuable.

Q4: What surprised you about being a mentor or a mentee?

SA: How much I needed one! It was the right time for me, and I was fortunate to be matched with the right mentor. While I have many opportunities to engage in professional development and mentoring within my organization, there’s nothing like talking to someone who “gets it” but isn’t steeped in the exact same context. It was also very beneficial to work through the MESHH Network framework with someone. Talking with Julie helped me see mentors and opportunities to find mentors where I hadn’t seen them previously.

JH: Like many others, I occasionally suffer from Imposter Syndrome, so I think I was most surprised by the fact that I actually know a lot more about RD than I realized. I was also surprised that the mentoring matching system seems to work so well. Both last year and this year, it matched me very well indeed!

Q5: What made you decide to maintain a longer-term mentoring relationship and how has it impacted you?

SA: When I reflect on my career so far, one theme that emerges is that whenever I’ve had the opportunity to learn from a mentor, I have thrived. In a previous career (teaching), I also served as a mentor after I had accumulated enough experience, and both sides of the mentoring relationship have been so valuable. Through the mentoring relationship, I have been able to appreciate how much I’ve learned and refined my own internal compass. I find mentoring especially important because I work remotely. I can intentionally build the type of connections that non-remote employees might be able to create more serendipitously.

JH: I have always benefitted from longer term mentoring relationships, whether they were formal or informal arrangements. After experiencing a great deal of benefit as a mentee in the program last year, I knew that any fears I had about not having enough time to participate were unfounded. Like the adage that one should meditate for at least 10 minutes every day unless you’re too busy, in which case you should meditate for 30 minutes, the mentoring relationship serves as a reflective experience that re-energizes my everyday work life.

Q6: Any words of wisdom or encouragement for those wanting to apply next year? Any other thoughts you would like to share?

SA: If you’re worried about having enough time, consider the “return on investment.” The way you’ll feel refreshed and re-charged after talking with your mentor will likely make managing your time easier in other aspects of your work. And by all accounts, NORDP does an excellent job with matching people. You won’t regret it!

JH: If you’ve been in RD for a while but think you aren’t advanced enough to be a mentor, that’s probably Imposter Syndrome. On the other hand, you could always start by being a mentee. Regardless of which you do (or both!), you will absolutely benefit from it.

Hats Off to the 2024 NORDP Mentor Training Workshop Graduates!

Written by the Mentoring Committee

The NORDP Mentoring Committee’s Mentor Training Team held a mentor training workshop in January – March 2024. Nineteen NORDP members completed the 5-week workshop, covering the 9-module Entering Mentoring curriculum initially developed for research mentors and tailored by the NORDP Mentoring Committee for RD professionals in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin Center for Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER). Over 100 NORDP members have completed the Entering Mentoring Workshop and received certificates.

RD professionals explored key mentoring competencies that can benefit RD mentors and mentees that have been associated with improved career outcomes, employee engagement and retention, and more inclusive work environments. The workshop was facilitated by NORDP members Jan Abramson, Kristin Boman, Paula Carney, Rachel Goff-Albritton, Melissa Li, Kathy Partlow, and Samar Sengupta.
The NORDP Mentoring Committee is committed to equipping Research Development professionals for success by offering meaningful mentoring expertise, support, and resources. If you would like to be contacted when the next Mentor Training workshop series is scheduled, please email mentorprogram@nordp.org.

Congratulations to the following 2024 NORDP Mentor Training graduates!

Sowmya Anand	University of Illinois
Vinita Bharat	Stanford University
Sherri Burda	New York University
Cate Caldwell	Black Hills State University
Caitlin Charos	University of California, Santa Cruz
Kaylynn Coates	Cleveland Clinic
Mandy Davis	Texas A&M University, Texarkana
Palemon Gonzalez	Research Development Consultant, Mexico City
Stephanie Haddad	University of California, Santa Cruz
Angela Jordan	University of South Alabama
Keri Jupka	University of Missouri, St. Louis
Prapti Mody	UT Southwestern Medical Center
Kelly Anne Moore	Emory University
Hugo Moreno	Research Development Consultant, Mexico City
Aimee Oke	Colorado State University
Daniel Riechers	University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Branden Ritter	Ohio State University
Claudia Scholz	University of Virginia
Ruth Sosnoff	University of Kansas Medical Center
Carol Thornber	University of Rhode Island
Monica Vidal	Stanford University School of Medicine
Nancy Walker	University of Missouri, Columbia
Kathryn Wrench	Lawrence Technological University
Kartik Yadav	University of California Irvine

Table: list of 2024 NORDP Mentor Training graduates and their respective organizations.

Cultivating Significance: The Importance of Developing a Network of Mentors in Proposal Development

Contributors: Proposal Development Peer Mentoring Groups (PMG) Co-conveners — Sonya Craig, New York University, Grossman School of Medicine and Lindsay Ridpath, University of Arizona

The Proposal Development field is growing as proposals become more complex and as the competitiveness for obtaining research funding continues. Academic success is not achievable through the efforts of a solitary individual; the era of lone geniuses thriving in academia has passed, emphasizing the collaborative nature of contemporary academics that thrives on teamwork, be that with other investigators or with research development (RD) professionals.

To help RD professionals build a network of support, NORDP initiated the peer mentoring groups (PMGs) in 2019, out of what was then the Community of Practice Groups. As David Widmer stated for an earlier blog post about the PMGs: “We are never fully developed by a single mentor. If you think about your broader network, it’s clear that you are being mentored by multiple people.” Jan Abramson said PMGs developed “from a discussion about member needs, the importance of building a network of mentors, and making sure anyone who requests a mentor has one.” A driving factor in PMGs is NORDP members’ needs. Christina Howard, David Widmer, Jan Abramson, Kathy Partlow, Faye Farmer, Katie Shoaf, and other members of NORDP’s Mentoring Committee, are the brains behind the PMGs, orchestrating the programming that has proven to be a valuable resource for many. The Proposal Development PMG is one of six active groups.

Proposal development can be summarized as the process of advising, writing, editing, coordinating, and compiling grant applications. The RD specialist can have many roles within proposal development, including as an educator, a project manager, a writer/editor/illustrator, or an advisor and advocate. Many proposal development professionals give guidance on and coordinate writing of grant components (including budgets, letters of support, and research strategies), manage grants libraries and other institutional resources, and coordinate and manage peer or “Red Team” reviews.

The proposal/research development role has evolved over the last decade, leading to major growth in proposal development specialists in university settings. Now, innovations in generative Artificial Intelligence and graphic design have the potential to transform both proposal development and proposal evaluation, meaning that the roles of RD professionals are likely to change in the near future. Likewise, complex proposals and transformational initiatives, like ARPA-H, are transitioning grant writing from a solo experience to one requiring strategic planning from a group. Industry support in research is also increasing, as more government agencies are including industry participation in their proposals. Some examples of this are the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) and Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) programs, and the US Economic Development Association’s (EDA) Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs). Companies like Amazon are increasingly offering research awards (Amazon Research Awards) to test solutions. Industry understands the value academic research brings and is increasingly interested in research collaborations rather than developing an internal R&D arm.

By connecting with colleagues at other universities through our Proposal Development PMG, members are able to stay abreast of how other institutions are negotiating these new developments as they arise. Our PMG has active members from all over the US, in the medical, engineering, social science, and humanities fields. Some members are in leadership roles within their institutions working in large RD offices, while on the other extreme, we have colleagues who are independent consultants who work from home. We both joined the PMG for different reasons: Sonya was working within an academic unit as the sole grant writer and wanted to grow her RD professional network; whereas Lindsay joined the PMG as a Foundation Relations professional with the goal of cultivating connections and gaining a comprehensive understanding of the research enterprise. Whatever your office size or job classification, if you have an interest in discussing proposal development best practices and challenges, we invite you to join us for an informal conversation the first Tuesday of every month at 1 pm ET. See this site within WisdomShare for more information, or direct any questions by emailing the Mentoring Committee at mentorprogram@nordp.org.

NORDP Career Navigator – Mentorship for Exploring Careers in RD

Written by: Kellie Gross, NORDP Career Navigator Program

For many, research development (RD) is a career that is discovered by chance, and with that discovery, questions abound: What jobs exist in RD? How do my existing experiences and skills apply to a job in RD? Is this field a good fit for me? The Career Navigator mentoring program was developed to help NORDP’s trainee members answer these questions and more. In this program, trainee members are paired with NORDP Career Navigators who share similar backgrounds and career paths of interest to the trainee. Through a mentee-driven relationship, trainees can learn more about the field of RD and find support for landing their first RD position.

To date, this program has supported 10 NORDP trainee members. Mentor Dr. Kathy Partlow, who has promoted and supported interdisciplinary research development since 2012, and mentee Dr. Sofia D’Ambrosio, who transitioned into RD from her PhD in Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, participated in the program in 2020. Over several months, Kathy and Sofia met to discuss topics such as Kathy’s path to RD, how to navigate an RD job search, and how to translate academic research skills to an RD job. Sofia credits a piece of advice from Kathy – build relationships with your local RD office – with helping her to land her first RD position at Washington State University, her PhD institution. She is now a Research Development Specialist within the Office of Research Development at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Learn more as Sofia and Kathy reflect on their experiences with the Career Navigator Program:

What influenced you to join the Career Navigator program as a mentor or mentee?

Sofia: I first heard about the Career Navigator program through the NORDP listserv in 2020. I was a PhD student at the time and knew RD could be a potential career path for me after graduation. But I really wasn’t sure how to start with the job hunt as I approached the end of my degree. Where do I find RD job postings? What are typical RD positions I should be on the lookout for? And most importantly, how do you ‘spin’ your skills as an academic scientist towards an RD career?

The Career Navigator program seemed like an easy way to get advice from someone that had made the transition from PhD researcher to RD professional. As a busy PhD student, I was also drawn to the fact that the program offered an informal setting without too much time commitment or pressure.

Kathy: I’m passionate about mentoring and have experienced first-hand as a mentee and now as a mentor the impact mentoring can have on your professional and even personal growth. So many of us have stories about how we somewhat blindly stumbled into research development. I conducted informational interviews that were extremely helpful in supporting my transition to RD, but I think we can all look back and wish we had someone who was dedicated to shepherding us through the process. This is exactly what the Career Navigator program offers for NORDP trainee members who are aspiring RD professionals. I was excited for the opportunity to share my lessons learned and a-ha moments to make that transition easier for the next generation.

What was your favorite part about your mentoring relationship?

Sofia: Kathy made the transition from academic research to RD seem feasible. Prior to our mentoring relationship, I felt like all my research training had set me up for a postdoc, researcher, or faculty position after graduation – and not much else. Kathy opened my eyes to the possibility of leaving the bench for RD.

Kathy: When Sofia and I met, she was already making all the right moves for exploring RD as a career and gaining experience in writing, grantsmanship, and the RD101 course. She was extremely easy to mentor. I mostly reaffirmed that she was taking the right steps and shared my confidence which in turn built her confidence.

Sofia, you are now serving as a mentor in the Career Navigator program – what drew you to taking on this role?

Sofia: I wanted to help postdocs and PhDs understand that RD exists as a potential career path. I had no idea RD was a field until I happened to run into a NORDP member at a science communication conference during my PhD. And I had no idea I was actually qualified for positions within that field until I met mentors like Kathy showing me the path from academic research to RD! I wanted to show other academics that RD can be a brand-new way of contributing to the research ecosystem that they hadn’t thought of before.

What have you found most rewarding and most challenging about being a mentor?

Kathy: I always find the relationships formed to be the most rewarding aspect of mentoring. I learn just as much (and maybe even more) when I’m the mentor. The challenge can be overcoming common misconceptions (e.g., you need more experience, it takes too much time, etc.) that are not true and can prevent you from becoming a mentor. I found it very rewarding to share my experience and revisit what I learned when securing my first RD position. I’m amazed at the impact, as Sofia and I only met over the course of a few months. The Career Navigator program is very focused, where the mentees are graduate students or postdocs that are interested in pursuing a career in RD. If you took a similar career path, I highly encourage you to volunteer to be a mentor!

Any words of wisdom or encouragement to those who are considering a transition into an RD career?

Sofia: Don’t be afraid to cold contact RD professionals for an informational interview. Plenty of folks will never get back to you, but you’ll be surprised how many people say yes! Even just 10-15 minutes of someone’s time asking about their career path and any advice they have can be valuable. They may even connect you to another helpful resource or person that you would never know about otherwise.

Kathy: I think you can be intentional and thoughtful about your transition to RD. NORDP and its community are supportive and have resources to help, so seek them out and you can make those stories about stumbling into RD part of the past.

A New Year’s Resolution for Mentors: Register for CIMER Mentor Training for RD Professionals

Contributors: Mentor Training Team Paula Carney, Loyola University Chicago and Kristen Boman, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

Mentor Training for Research Development Professionals – Registration for January/February 2024 Workshop (UPDATE: Registration is closed and there is a waitlist)

Are you a mentor? A mentee? Do you find yourself formally or informally mentoring staff or faculty? Are you ready to explore mentoring competencies that can be utilized across the work of research development (RD)? This interactive workshop series covers the 9-module Entering Mentoring curriculum, initially developed for mentoring researchers and tailored for RD professionals.

“EXCELLENT training! The ideas presented are very applicable both to mentoring both within the research development profession and elsewhere in the research enterprise — the things I have learned and practiced in this course are incredibly valuable to me as I provide mentoring to faculty, particularly early stage investigators and junior faculty, in the area of grantsmanship.”
A recent workshop participant

Using evidence-based strategies, participants will build upon competencies crucial to the success of the mentoring relationship and expand mentor training across the research enterprise. Participants who complete the entire curriculum will receive a certificate of completion. The curriculum results from an association between the NORDP Mentoring committee and the University of Wisconsin Center for Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) in collaboration with the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN), organizations involved in developing and validating the original curriculum. RD professionals at all levels of mentoring will explore how mentoring (shown to improve career outcomes, impact employee engagement and retention, and lead to more inclusive work environments) can benefit mentors and mentees in RD.

Workshops will be presented and facilitated by the NORDP Mentoring Committee; many are certified CIMER Trained Facilitators.

Webinar Schedule:

Two (1.5-hour) sessions each week for 5 weeks (every Tuesday and Thursday)
January 30 – February 29, 2024
2–3:30 pm EST/11 am–12:30 pm PST

Register TODAY for the webinar series (35 participant limit): https://nordp.memberclicks.net/mtworkshop24

If this workshop doesn’t fit in your schedule, share your scheduling preferences to help us plan for future Mentor Training by completing a survey of your preferences.

Questions? Contact us at mentorprogram@nordp.org

Update: The January/February 2024 training is now full!

NORDP Cohort Mentoring Group Reflection

The 2023-24 Mentoring Program started in July, with an expanded cohort mentoring program in its 2^nd year running. The Cohort Mentoring Group consists of matching three mentees with similar interests with one shared mentor based on the WisdomShare matching algorithm. The Mentoring Committee made 31 Cohort Mentoring Groups matches this year, an astonishing increase from last year’s pilot of 10.

The Mentoring Committee is actively seeking new volunteers to run the various mentoring programs offered to all NORDP members! If you have benefited from the mentoring services in the past, we encourage you to consider getting involved as the committee work is largely driven by volunteers. To learn more, we welcome everyone to join us at the Mentoring Committee Open House on Thursday, January 18, 2024, at 2pm Eastern. Register TODAY and/or email mentorprogram@nordp.org if you have any questions.

#PayItForward

Cohort Mentor:

Joanna Downer (JD) is Associate Dean for Research Development at Duke University School of Medicine. She previously worked in science writing and media relations at Duke and Johns Hopkins, has extensive experience in scientific editing, and is a Certified Professional Coach. Joanna holds an MA and PhD in nuclear chemistry from Washington University in St. Louis, and a BS with Honors in chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University. While in graduate school, she was a Mass Media Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Cohort Mentees:

Helena H. Fischer (HF) serves as Senior Grant Development Manager for the Alvarez School of Business at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She earned her Bachelors of Music Education from UTSA and taught choral music for a decade. She earned a Master’s degree in Education Leadership and Policy from the University of Texas at Austin where she developed her research interests in poverty in education. She currently attends St. Mary’s Law School. Her experiences as an educator, grant project director, student affairs professional, and law student inform her work.

Hailey LaVoy (HL) is Assistant Director for Humanities & Interdisciplinary Grant Support at Dartmouth College. She works closely with Dartmouth’s faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students in the Arts & Humanities and Interdisciplinary Divisions to identify and secure internal and external funding that will advance their research agendas. She holds a PhD in medieval studies from the University of Notre Dame.

Lindsay Ridpath (LR) is Program Manager for Industry Engagement for Research Development at the University of Arizona. She supports procurement of industry research sponsorships, collaborates with industry on federal proposals, and aids in securing student fellowships and internships. She uses her expertise in content creation for social media and web platforms to promote UArizona faculty, facilities, and other resources to potential collaborators. Lindsay has an MFA and holds a Certified Associate for Project Management (CAPM) status.

Q1: What influenced you to apply to be a mentor/mentee for the 2022-23 NORDP Mentoring Program? Why did you choose the cohort mentoring model?

HF: My dotted-line supervisor called me on my second day in my new role as Sr. Grant Development Manager. He suggested that I sign up and that the department would pay my membership fee.

HL: It was recommended by a former NORDP mentee whom I met at the NORDP conference in May. I’m new to research development, and it seemed like a great opportunity to learn more about the field. I preferred the cohort model to get more perspectives and to meet peers in varying stages of their RD careers.

LR: I’m new to Research Development. At the time I first applied to the cohort, I was working for our Foundation Relations department, which didn’t offer a lot of support or training and its team was very new. I had developed a relationship with one of the university’s Research Development members and explained my troubles, and she was nice enough to recommend NORDP. I chose the cohort model because I wanted a group to learn from, as well as others to fall back on. The cohort model relieved the pressure of maintaining a one-on-one commitment.

JD: I love helping others achieve their goals, and I could use the time saved from having finished my term on the NORDP Board of Directors to once again serve as a mentor. I offered to serve as either 1:1 or cohort mentor, and could be happier to have been placed with a cohort!

Q2: Have you participated in a 1:1 mentoring model before? How has this experience been different or similar?

HF: Yes, but it was far more organic. We would come with questions.

HL: Not formally.

LR: No, but I’d like to.

JD: I served as a 1:1 mentor in the 2022-2023 mentoring year, and had a great experience. As others have reported in previous mentor pair profiles, while I may have started as the mentor, by the time our year was drawing to a close, I was receiving as much mentoring as I was giving, which was great. We are continuing to meet and my 1:1 mentee also signed up again – the Mentoring Program is a great way to grow your network! And in the cohort this year, I love that each member has wisdom to offer. Sharing our paths, our challenges, our solutions also helps reassure all of us that we aren’t alone in whatever experiences or feelings we’re having!

Q3: What is your favorite part about this cohort mentoring model so far?

HF: Joanna is a great mentor. I appreciate her solutions and her deep listening. I also am learning so much from my cohort mates who are in new roles too and we are navigating together.

HL: Getting confidential support on a wide range of professional issues.

LR: The first cohort wasn’t very great. I don’t think our mentor was very engaged and a lot of the convening was initiated by myself. I’m really enjoying our second cohort, all members are more engaged, and we all have different roles within our organizations so I’m able to learn a lot more about their roles, leaving me feeling more well-rounded.

JD: I think the matching software did a great job!

Q4: How has your participation in the Mentoring Program so far helped broaden your horizons about Research Development in general and/or affected your daily work in particular?

HF: It has helped me understand that there is a wealth of resources for professionals

HL: It’s given me a broader perspective on RD-institutional context, helping me better understand what is particular to my department (personalities/politics) and what is considered standard across the professional field. To that end, as a newbie, it has decreased my anxiety about how I’m doing in my specific role. My own RD office is very small, so it has been informative to learn, by listening to my fellow mentees, about the varied types of roles that exist in RD, depending on the institution and its priorities.

LR: I’m realizing that it’s ok to come from an “unconventional” background as so many others do.

Q5: What has surprised you about being a mentor or a mentee so far?

HL: That, in addition to learning from my mentor, that I would learn so much from my fellow mentees about professionalism, tenacity, courage, and the importance of mutual support!

LR: The field feels like it’s on the brink of exciting change and I’m happy to be part of it.

Q6: Any words of wisdom or encouragement for those wanting to apply next year? Any other thoughts you would like to share?

HL: It is indeed a wonderful investment in your professional development and an opportunity to build relationships with colleagues whom you might not otherwise meet. I’m so grateful that this program exists.

LR: If the first year is a dud, apply again!

JD: Do it!

The 2023-24 NORDP Mentoring Program is now in full swing! Applications for the next cycle will open in the spring. Please keep an eye out for an announcement from the NORDP. Additional mentoring opportunities are available through the Peer Mentoring Groups that are open for participation throughout the year via the WisdomShare platform.

An investment in mentoring is an investment in you!

Heads up – January is the National Mentoring Month!

Contributor: Vess Vassileva-Clarke

The National Mentoring Month is just around the corner and the NORDP Mentoring Committee has lined up exciting mentoring events and activities for all-level-of-experience mentors and mentees! Get excited and ready to:

CELEBRATE

We encourage you to observe these national and international days in a way that works for you. The Mentoring Committee has provided suggestions for how NORDP members can observe these days in January blog posts.

JANUARY 9 – I Am a Mentor Day
Suggestion: send a note to your mentee(s) with an encouraging message.
JANUARY 15 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
Suggestion: Seek opportunities in your local community to make an impact.
JANUARY 17 – International Mentoring Day
Suggestion: Highlight a local organization that provides mentoring opportunities. Talk about the organization in a meeting, on social media, or with your family.
JANUARY 25 – Thank Your Mentor Day
Suggestion: Send a note to someone you value as a mentor and highlight one piece of advice that you’ve put into action.

ENGAGE & COLLABORATE at NORDP

Participate in one or all of the events, celebrations, and learning opportunities hosted by the NORDP Mentoring Committee throughout the month and beyond:

Mentor Training for RD Professionals Workshop — Get ready to explore mentoring competencies that can be utilized across the work of research development (RD)! This interactive workshop series will cover the 9-module Entering Mentoring curriculum, initially developed by CIMER for mentoring researchers and tailored for RD professionals. Registration will open in early Jan 2024. More information to come.

Mentoring Committee Open House — Join us on January 18, 2024, 2pm ET for our monthly meeting to learn more about what the Mentoring Committee does, and find out how to get involved and join us. We will talk about the committee’s work and achievements, celebrate our volunteer members, and brainstorm new ideas for the future. Register today!

McHuddles are informal gatherings hosted by NORDP Mentoring Committee facilitators and an opportunity to share ideas, ask questions, and collectively learn from other mentees/mentors in breakout sessions. Stay tuned for the 2024 dates.

You are invited!

Mentoring Committee Open House
Thursday, January 18, 2024
11am PT/12pm MT/1pm CT/2pm ET

The Committee will …

Celebrate our members and achievements
Brainstorm ideas to support NORDP members

New networks will be formed and a fun time will be had!

Questions? Email mentorprogram@nordp.org

REGISTER NOW

Peer Mentoring Group (PMG) meetings — Log in to WisdomShare and go to Dashboard to find out current PMGs and join the ones of interest to you.

DRIVE ACTION

Encourage a coworker and/or another NORDP member to join the mentoring movement — whether it’s seeking a NORDP mentor, offering mentorship, signing up for the mentor training workshop in January, or simply attending a mentoring event or a Mentoring Committee meeting.

Questions: mentorprogram@nordp.org

#NORDPmentoring #MentoringMatters #MentorshipMatters

Congratulations to Dr. Christine Pfund as the recipient of the 2023 NORDP Research Development Champion

Written by: Jan Abramson and the Mentoring Committee Leadership (Elizabeth Lathrop, Hilda McMackin, Angela Jordan, Kathy Partlow)

Congratulations to Dr. Christine Pfund—the honored recipient of the 2023 NORDP Research Development Champion! The award was established in 2020 to recognize RD Champions who are distinguished by their advocacy for the critical support of research development (RD) and/or wider efforts to advance the research enterprise. Dr. Pfund, of the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER), has long been a champion for research development and the work of RD professionals.

Dr. Pfund is a distinguished senior scientist with the Wisconsin Center for Education Research and the Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her work centers on advancing the science and practice of mentorship with a particular focus on culturally responsive mentorship education interventions. Through her work, she has developed, implemented, documented, and studied the training of research mentors across science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM). Dr. Pfund holds multiple roles as the Director, the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER), the Principal Investigator for the Coordination Center, National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN), and Director of Mentorship Initiatives, Institute for Clinical & Translational Research. She was a member of the National Academies committee that published the consensus report and online guide The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM.

In 2018, members of the NORDP Mentoring Committee had the opportunity to participate in CIMER’s mentor training. Inspired by their experience, they determined that CIMER resources and best practices would positively benefit NORDP and its membership. This led to the development of the first CIMER curriculum for RD professionals, Mentoring for Research Development Professionals, published by CIMER as part of the Entering Mentoring curriculum series. The process of adapting the evidence-based curriculum took over three years, and hundreds of NORDP Mentoring Committee volunteer hours. Dr. Pfund and CIMER were strong advocates for RD throughout the process, recognizing the impact of the work and the mentorship RD professionals engage in. Encouraged by her unwavering support, NORDP members are engaging in the national conversation around mentorship and can participate in creating a shared language of mentorship.

NORDP members are invited to participate in mentor training offered by the Mentoring Committee. The 5-week webinar series begins 1/30/2024. Registration will open in early January 2024, and is limited to 30 NORDP members.

Mentoring Reflections: Eric Dickey and Crystal Love

by the NORDP Mentoring Committee

The traditional mentoring dyad (1:1 mentor-mentee) program has been a NORDP member feature since 2012. The Cohort Mentoring Group, piloted in July 2022, consists of matching three mentees with similar interests with one shared mentor. Both the dyad and cohorts are matched based on the WisdomShare matching algorithm. This is a blended reflection of both match types.

Crystal Love, Ph.D. is a Science Grant Writer and Editor for the Biological Sciences Division at the University of Chicago. She has participated in the NORDP mentoring cohort for two years in a row.

Eric Wayne Dickey, MFA is the Director of Sponsored Programs for the Division of Extension & Engagement at Oregon State University. He’s been active on the Mentoring Committee since 2017. Eric has engaged in mentoring 1-on-1 for 16 years and has formally participated in the NORDP mentoring dyads for 6 years.

Q1: What influenced you to apply to be a mentor or a mentee for the NORDP Mentoring Program?

Eric: Mentoring is very rewarding. Each time I am paired with a new mentee, and I learn about their work and their challenges and opportunities, I am reminded of my own efforts and how much work I still need to do on myself. Even though the focus in mentoring is on the mentee, I have found it to be a mutually beneficial endeavor. I am always grateful and inspired by the mentee’s bravery in stepping forward to show that they are willing to take a chance and invest in themselves and their own well-being.

Why did you choose the cohort mentoring model?

Crystal: I chose the cohort mentoring model to expand my community of support as I get further into my career in RD. At 2.5 years in, I am still new to this field and have a lot to learn, but I’ve also experienced a wide range of proposals, funding agencies, and faculty personalities in this time. I view the mentoring cohort as a great opportunity to continue my own growth as well as offer NORDP colleagues lessons, tips, and resources I have found useful so far. The cohort model is also a great way to hear diverse perspectives on various topics and learn about how other RD offices function. Lastly, I view the cohort mentoring model as a great stepping stone to becoming a mentor myself someday.

Q2: Can you compare your experience in the dyad vs. cohort mentoring models?

Crystal: This is my third year participating in the NORDP mentoring program. My first year I participated in a 1:1 mentoring program, my second year I participated in the new cohort mentoring program, and this year I am participating in the cohort program again. My experience with 1:1 mentoring was phenomenal; I had just entered the RD field and was matched with a mentor who also had a science background and provided significant insight as to how my career could progress. I had a lot to learn this first year, and since everything was new and a bit overwhelming, it was very useful having this 1:1 time with a mentor who could help me learn the basics, dig into the details of my current projects, and help me navigate new situations. My mentor provided advice and resources with the proposals I was working on, tips on working with other staff in grants administration and RD, and guidance on how to build a network in NORDP and build expertise toward my career goals. This experience had a significant impact on my confidence and trajectory, and I am very grateful to have had this individual support as I transitioned to a career in RD.

I have since decided to participate in mentoring cohorts because I learn so much from other’s experiences and work strategies. In my experience, the 1:1 model was a bit more structured, as far as identifying goals and introspection as I developed new skills, although our discussions were also organic based on what I was experiencing at that time (proposals, takeaways from workshops or virtual conferences, etc). My first cohort was less individualized as far as goals and reflection on personal development, but the wide range of discussions were organic and rich with multiple perspectives that helped my professional growth immensely. My second (current) cohort started by identifying goals for individual growth, and now our organic conversations continue to provide invaluable guidance and resources that I incorporate into my work.

Q3: What was your favorite part about the cohort mentoring model?

Crystal: Meeting amazing individuals and just having the opportunity to connect with others in the RD field are my favorite aspects of participating in the NORDP mentoring program. The cohort offers an opportunity to learn about a wide range of grants and funding agencies I may or may not be familiar with, as well as useful strategies NORDP colleagues use to manage various tasks, and provides a regular community of support to ask questions or bounce ideas around with. I have particularly found the cohort model helpful in developing those ‘soft skills’ in RD that are shared through discussions of diverse experiences. I like that the cohort model provides a space to discuss any aspect of RD that participants are interested in and allows flexibility in the mentor/mentee relationship where everyone benefits. The 1:1 mentoring relationship can sometimes put pressure on the mentee to provide questions/topics for the conversation to fill the hour and the mentor to have all the answers, while the cohort model is a space where many can bring up topics and the mentor isn’t alone in offering advice.

Q4: How has participation in the Mentoring Program helped broaden your horizons about Research Development in general and/or affected your daily work in particular?

Eric: The sharing of professional experiences that occurs in mentoring has shown me what is possible in RD, and what RD itself can make possible. Learning how people persevere in their work through challenges and opportunities has helped me become more empathetic. I now give wider margins to the faculty and clients I serve. I now understand that almost everybody has other things going on beneath the surface, other tasks and priorities, and other obligations.

Q5: What surprised you about being a mentor or a mentee?

Eric: Throughout my career, people have often turned to me for guidance and advice. In the past, I closed myself off to that, because I was uncomfortable in my own skin. I have since learned that I am not alone. Most everybody has other things going on, and most everybody has self-doubt. Mentoring has shown me that a lot of people need support and affirmation. Mentoring has helped me feel less alone out here in this crazy world of work.

Q6: Any words of wisdom or encouragement for those wanting to apply next year? Any other thoughts you would like to share?

Eric: Taking part in the mentoring program, whether as mentee or mentor, is a profound investment in the self. You are worth it. Take the chance and apply. You and your colleagues will be glad you did.

Crystal: While the 1:1 mentoring model may fit a smaller but very important segment of new RD professionals, the cohort model is perfect for all professional levels. These small cohorts that bring together NORDP colleagues from all over the country with a wide range of experiences in a regular, comfortable, structured, and (time-limited) setting is brilliantly effective. I would encourage NORDP members at all levels to participate and share in this experience, regardless of the mentor/mentee status. RD professionals do not share the same background, experiences, or institutional support, and the beautiful strength of NORDP is that we are a community that shares, discusses, and informs with generosity and humility. RD professionals, whether part of an institutional machine or an office of one, can learn so much from each other – I’ve seen it!

Applications for the 2024-25 mentoring match cycle will open in the spring — keep an eye out for NORDP emails. Additional mentoring opportunities are available through the Peer Mentoring Groups that are open for participation throughout the year via the WisdomShare platform [LINK: https://nordpmentoring.mywisdomshare.com/]. Contact the NORDP Mentoring Committee if you have any questions [link: mentoringprogram@nordp.org].

An investment in mentoring is an investment in you!

Wrapping Up a Fantastic Mentoring Year!

Authored by the NORDP Mentoring Committee

As the 2022-2023 NORDP Mentoring Program year draws to a close, we want to thank everyone who participated. Whether you have participated in the more individualized 1:1 dyads or the pilot of 1:3 cohort mentoring, we hope your mentoring experience has been inspirational and supported your professional growth. In 2022, we had the largest cohort for the Mentoring Program ever: 172 participants (136 mentees; 76 mentors) matched in 106 pairs and 10 cohorts. We currently have six active peer mentoring groups, and 19 people completed the five-week mentor training program.

The NORDP conference in Crystal City, Virginia on May 8-10 afforded some of those who were able to attend with a first opportunity to connect with their NORDP mentoring partners in person! Mentoring Committee members enjoyed having a chance to talk about program options and opportunities to get involved with the committee at three conference events: the committee networking session, the poster session, and a committee breakfast table. We had a lot of positive feedback from people who have been involved in the mentoring program, and interest from people wanting to get involved for the first time. We hope everyone interested in the mentoring program this year applied in advance of the application deadline on May 22. If you missed this year’s deadline, remember that peer mentoring groups are open to new members year-round.

*Congratulations to Hilda McMakin and Carolynn Julien, the recipients of this year’s Mentoring Awards!*

Now that the application window for our matched dyads and cohorts programs has closed, the committee is managing the matching process. We expect to share information about new matches for the 2023-24 program by mid-June.

Program participants for 2023-24 should mark their calendars for our Mentoring Program Matching Orientation, which will be held on Wednesday, June 21 from 1-2:30pm ET. The orientation introduces the mentoring programs and the support provided by the committee in the form of curated resources, facilitation, and onboarding materials. We will also be joined by Supermentor Carolynn Julien, a co-recipient of this year’s Mentoring Award along with Hilda McMackin, who will share her experience in the mentoring program.

The Mentoring Committee is also hosting the July TNT session on “Leveraging Wisdom Share Software for Mentoring” to show members how to navigate within Wisdom Share software to maximize your mentoring relationships. That session will be Tuesday, July 11 at noon ET.

On behalf of the Mentoring Committee,
Angela Jordan, Elizabeth Lathrop, Hilda McMcakin, Kathy Partlow