NRCS-Ohio Mentor Program

Mentor Program
Program Purpose
Policy and Program Guidelines

The "Mentoring Page" Newsletter
Miscellaneous Documents
Contact Person

The Ohio Mentor Program, which is managed by committee members, is a diverse program designed to improve personal and professional work environments through successful mentoring partnerships among employees, and by ensuring diversity among mentoring partnerships and committee representation. NRCS-Ohio Mentor logo The current committee members are: Sandy Chenal - Chairperson; Tami Hastings, Tom Sewell, Felicity Weatherspoon, Rich Bruns, Abbe Copple, Angel Arehart. Resource contact - John Wilson, Marty Seamons.

This program is intended to be an effective one that fosters career relationships and exchanges career information between the mentor and protégé in which both the employer and employee benefit.

The Ohio Mentor Program strategically targets employees who are interested in establishing an agreement between the mentor and protégé. Once the agreement is made, the protégé can receive guidance, counseling, coaching, and confidence building throughout their careers, which will expand the horizons and increase the experiences of the entire Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS) workforce unit as a whole throughout Ohio.

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Program Purpose

The purpose of the program is to develop a support system and peer network connection to assist employees with an orientation and the structure of the NRCS in Ohio. It is further designed to supplement employee advancement by providing them with the appropriate guidance needed, while at the same time improve current job skills and abilities. Additionally, the Ohio Mentor Program is aimed at increasing staff morale, job satisfaction, and improving employee recruitment and retention.

Although the Ohio Mentor Program is available to all NRCS employees interested in becoming a protégé, each potential protégé must go through an application process to select the most qualified candidates. The ideal candidate is one that demonstrates the following characteristics:

Self-motivation;
A willingness to take advantage of available learning opportunities;
Eagerness to learn new skills and abilities;
Desire to develop existing skills and abilities;
Willingness to be a team player who is able to cooperate and communicate with others;
Sensitivity to cultural and gender differences; and
Become an active participant.

Once the mentor has been assigned to a potential protégé, the protégé must be willing to make a one-year commitment to the Ohio Mentor Program. The mentor and protégé will work together to develop a preferred way to interact during this one year time frame. The success of mentoring depends upon both the mentor and the protégé.

Mentors must be willing to serve as an advisor by listening, guiding, and providing constructive feedback on the protégé's actions, skills, and improvements. The mentor should be knowledgeable about possible forthcoming training opportunities and provide the information to the protégé. The mentor can be a valuable source for networking opportunities within the Agency and throughout our Conservation Partnership. The responsibilities of the mentor are tremendous, such as serving as a role model for the protégé. However, the most important responsibility of the mentor is that of complete confidence of the protégé. A protégé must be able to trust his or her mentor and rely on the mentor to provide sincere, honest, and constructive feedback during regular interaction reporting periods.

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