FORT GREGG-ADAMS, Va. — Fort Gregg-Adams introduced its Mentorship Program with an Informational Social Gathering event Aug. 27 at the Ordnance Training Support Facility.
Although the community-building program doesn’t officially begin in practice until January 2025, about 35 employees signed up to either receive career guidance or to share their experience or knowledge with others.
The program, open to all DoD employees, is designed to help motivate and encourage people to meet their career goals and accomplish long-term success.
It developed from another recent installation initiative—the Emerging Leaders Program—which made the recommendation for this Mentorship Program based on months of study, inquiry and research.
“Whether it’s professional development or networking, the objective is to give people space and opportunity to reach goals,” said Emily Hairfield, an engineer technician for the Directorate of Public Works at Fort Gregg-Adams and an Emerging Leaders Program member. “We thought, ‘what if we came up with this mentorship program to give people somebody who can help, somebody they can build a relationship with, confide in or ask questions of.”
The team met with several senior leaders who were involved in mentorship programs, including former Fort Jackson and U.S. Army Center for Initial Military Training Commanding General Maj. Gen. Jason E. Kelly and members of the U.S. Army women’s mentorship program ‘Female Mentoring and Morale Program.’
“The bones, the structure of our mentorship program is taking things that we like from successful programs on other bases,” Hairfield said.
The Army supports its employees with development opportunities and helps them explore passions in many ways, still some organizations within the Army have found mentorship programs tailored to their specific organizational needs most useful.
“The reason that we think this is a particularly good program to start up at Fort Gregg-Adams is that it means the installation is investing in its employees,” said Shannon Scully, a wildlife biologist for the Environmental Management Division, Directorate of Public Works, Fort Gregg-Adams and an Emerging Leaders Program team member. “It can help the individual pursue career goals and develop skills, but it can also be a change in culture for the positive.”
The program is also born out of the team’s analysis of the Defense Organizational Climate Survey results and many interviews with installation directors and employees.
The Emerging Leaders Program will continue its research to improve the base and provide resources for employees at Fort Gregg-Adams.
“The goal is that every new cohort of emerging leaders will then also be in the mentorship program,” Hairfield said. “That way every year we have fresh sets of eyes coming in to keep people happy and keep the program running.”
Prior to the January (National Mentoring Month) kickoff, the Mentorship Program will host Speed Mentoring/Social Events this Fall.
“We’ll have all of our mentees at a table, and we’ll rotate mentors every five minutes or so,” Hairfield said. “The program is informal in that we let people choose each other. We really want that to be organic. For it to be successful, you have to like who your mentor is.”
The program also intends to utilize the DoD Mentorship Program’s upcoming matchmaking tool set to launch next year.
“If you wanted to find a mentor in your job series that is in a different state, you could through the DoD matchmaking tool,” Hairfield said.
The Mentorship Program commitment is approximately two to three hours per month for a minimum of six months—and as long past that as the mentor and mentee want—under the banner of professional development with meetings and events within working hours. Thus, participation in the program requires a supervisor’s signature.
Program leaders anticipate that mentor-mentees would meet for one hour per month, then one hour per month would be dedicated for social events that the program puts on, and a third hour would be a group meeting to discuss how things are going and network, usually virtually.
There are no restrictions on who can be a mentor or a mentee or both. The right mentor is dependent on the specific needs of the mentee regardless of pay grade or rank.
The program requires an application process, and mentors and mentees will be matched from what the mentor has to offer and what the mentee is seeking.
“We help facilitate space for them to meet and allow them to develop the relationship,” Hairfield said.
The museums’ conference rooms will be used for mentorship events and meetings.
Those with questions, nominations or those interested in signing up can contact Emily Hairfield by email through the end of the year at: emily.i.hairfield.civ@army.mil.
Social Sharing