Committee Policy Guidelines

Mission

The mission of the Ohio Mentor Committee is to develop, oversee, review, and provide program maintenance for a successful Ohio Mentor Program.

Vision

Diverse and successful mentoring partnerships that provide a connection to experience, knowledge, trust, diversity, and improved personal and professional work environments.

Objectives

• Encourage successful mentoring partnerships among employees.
• Keep leadership informed of mentoring progress.
• Promote a confidential, voluntary, and safe program environment.
• Ensure diversity among mentoring partnerships and committee make-up with representation from all administrative units.

About the Program

The first action of the committee was to identify the need for a mentor program. After further investigation by committee members, it was agreed that such a program would benefit both employees and the organization. The committee examined mentor programs from nine states in order to develop the Ohio Mentor Program.

Committee Responsibilities

The committee will be responsible for administering the Ohio Mentor Program. The program will be evaluated on a quarterly basis to determine the success of the program and to make needed changes. The Ohio Mentor Committee will be a subcommittee of the Employee Development Committee. The chairperson of the committee will keep the Employee Development Committee informed of progress.

Committee Meetings

The committee will meet quarterly. Members may choose to meet more or less frequently based on necessary action and discussion needs. The meeting will be centrally located within the State; however, the committee may choose to meet in other locations.

Membership Responsibilities

The Ohio Mentor Committee members serve on the Committee for two years and oversee the program. All committee members will attend and participate fully at meetings and evaluate overall success of the program. Based on the evaluation process, members may also make recommendations for program change if deemed appropriate. Members' responsibilities include:

• Tracking progress;
• Keeping track of mentors and protégés;
• Developing a Resource Library;
• Keeping abreast of current mentor program trends (inside and outside the agency);
• Providing a list of Ohio mentors to potential protégés;
• Keeping records confidential, as deemed appropriate;
• Marketing the program annually and to all new employees; and
• Coordinating training workshops for mentors.

Committee members will make face-to-face visits to new protégés and explain the program, give them copies of the program guidelines and application, and answer any questions they may have.

Committee Chair

The committee chair is a two-year position. This individual will lead meetings, identify items of business, and draft agenda and meeting notices, as appropriate. Other responsibilities include:

• Making meeting arrangements;
• Working with facilitators;
• Submitting articles in the state newsletter;
• Acting as contact to the State Conservationist;
• Maintaining contact with the Employee Development Committee; and
• Developing action in support of mentor/protégé partnerships with the help of committee members.

Public Relations

When committee members have an opportunity, they will inform employees of the program through civil rights training sessions, all-employee meetings, articles in the State newsletter, and by word of mouth. Program information will be released through correspondence and the "Ohio Mentor Program" brochure. Success stories are always welcome.

Program Assessment

The committee will develop a simple tracking method to be used by mentors. This method, submitted twice a year by the mentor, will allow the committee to perform quality checks of program progress. This information will be collected and reviewed by the committee, as deemed appropriate.

Work Accountability

Committee members should agree that the time they invest in facilitating the Ohio Mentor Program should not create a situation in which job responsibilities are not met.

Program Accountability

Committee members agree that the Ohio Mentor Program will not replace the responsibility of Civil Rights, EEO, Human Resources, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), career counseling divisions, or the role served by the supervisor.

Ohio Mentor Program Committee

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.

< Back to Ohio Mentor Program