Mentoring Program

The WICT Network: Rocky Mountain's Award Winning Mentoring Program

Invest in your career with our nationally recognized mentorship program.

The WICT Network: Rocky Mountain’s Award-Winning Mentoring Program is for the entry/mid-level professional who is ready to jump-start their career under the advisement and encouragement of a mentor.

Mentees are paired with an industry veteran who will work closely with them to help establish their goals and share personal knowledge and experience to guide them down the path to success.

Over the course of five monthly sessions, the program will cover:

  • Successful Mentor/Mentee Relationships
  • Negotiating for Self
  • DEI Ally and Agent for Change
  • Confident Leadership

Group sessions occur virtually via Zoom. Mentors and mentees are also expected to meet at least once/month at an agreed-upon time and date.

Applications for the Fall 2022 session are now closed. Please check back for future sessions. 

2022 Mentoring - Fall Session Dates:

9 a.m. – 12 p.m. WICT Mentoring Kickoff Session with Mentors/Mentees (Optional)

9 a.m. – 12 p.m. (Mandatory)

Guest Speaker – Claude Jones – VP of Engineering, Strava, CEO San Diego Tech Hub

9 a.m. – 12 p.m. (Mandatory)

Guest Speaker – Ginnette Harvey – Founder & CEO, Harper & Gray

9 a.m. – 12 p.m. (Mandatory)
Presentation from Christopher Lafayette – Founder of GatherVerse and The Black Technology Mentorship Program, and Keynote speaker at this year’s Tech it Out

  • All sessions are mandatory.
  • All sessions will be held virtually. 
  • Price:
    • Mentees: Price is $350 for WICT members, $450 for non-WICT members.  Please note: Your annual WICT membership fees do not include the cost of this program.
    • Mentors: There is no cost for mentors above their time.

Program Overview and Time Commitment

Vision:  To help develop leaders who transform our industry by creating coaching and mentoring relationships between WICT members.

“Mentoring is a privileged relationship between a more experienced person and a less experienced person where profound learning happens and a mutual responsibility grows. The mentee gains from the mentor’s tacit professional and organizational knowledge, and gets accelerated experience and insight. The mentor gains a sense of sponsorship and legacy, as well as fresh insights and renewal. Mentoring is less about competencies and more about wisdom.” – Personnel Decisions International

  • The program will consist of approximately 10 mentors and 20 mentees.
  • Mentoring teams, or “triads” will be formed based on identified developmental interests, with a 2:1 mentee/mentor ratio.
  • A full kick-off session will be provided for both mentors and mentees. At this meeting, mentors and mentees will have a chance to meet and begin developing their mentoring goals and expectations.
  • All participants will gather virtually every month for five months for mandatory group sessions. (See Session Dates.)
  • Mentors are expected to meet with their two mentees at least once monthly over the course of the five-month program. Additionally, the mentor should make themselves available throughout the five-month period for individual meetings and/or phone calls to provide guidance as requested by the mentee on an individual basis.

Becoming a Mentee

  • Cost is $350 for WICT members, $450 for non-members.

Becoming a Mentor

  • Mentors are volunteering their leadership and time so there is no cost to be a mentor.
  • WICT membership is not required for mentors.
  • This is a wonderful way for senior leaders to contribute to WICT by helping to develop leaders who change the industry.
  • If your company is a government contractor or sub-contractor with an Affirmative Action Plan, you must undertake and report on good faith efforts on an annual basis. (Please talk to your Human Resources department for details.)

WICT Director of Mentoring Bio

We are pleased to announce that one of our mentors from 2021, Danny Cohen, is now our Director of Mentoring for WICT and will be taking the baton from Becky Woods starting with the Spring 2022 session. Danny has direct oversight and is responsible for driving strategy across the Impellam Group STEM portfolio, including the Lorien, SRG, and Bartech divisions. He also co-founded Breaking the Glass, a professional program for women in the tech community, and is a part of several boards; such as 50/50 Women on Boards, the San Diego Tech Hub, and is also an advisor to Austin Community College. He joins us with over 20 years of SME experience leading large specialist staffing agencies globally as well as creating pathways and communities across the US; focused on leveling up and upskilling the underserved and underrepresented. He is seen as a thought leader in the space of ED&I and has spoken on behalf of large Fortune 500 companies, and additionally, was a panelist with the CEO of CareerBuilder on the topic of “How to Get Hired” and “How to Build World Class Candidate Communities,” to name a few. Danny is originally from London, England and currently resides in Austin, TX with his wife Gosia and son Mason.

History

The mentoring program started in 2003 and teamed up with SkyeTeam in 2010. Participants maintain a long-term connection with their peers and mentors and the mentoring program has an active alumni group that participates in future mentoring events.

PAST MENTORS

Past mentors have included managers, VPs, directors and other executives from companies such as Adelphia, Bresnan Communications, Comcast, ESPN, HBO, Hitachi Consulting, ICG, Level3, Qwest, Time Warner, WOW! and many others.

Mentor and Mentee Successes

Many mentors and mentees have gone on to be successful executives, gala honorees and nationally recognized by WICT for their contributions to WICT and the industry. Some of these names are:

  • Judi Allen – Woman of the Year, WICT Rocky Mountain
  • Cindy Bennett – Woman to Watch, WICT Rocky Mountain
  • Kelly Bumann – Woman of the Year, WICT Rocky Mountain
  • Shelly Humphreys – Woman to Watch, WICT Rocky Mountain
  • Regina Hutchinson – Woman of the Year, WICT Rocky Mountain
  • Cathy Kilstrom –Woman of the Year, WICT Rocky Mountain
  • Marti Moore – Woman in Technology / Innovation, WICT Rocky Mountain
  • Jill Stark – Woman of the Year, WICT Rocky Mountain
  • Missy Wood – Woman of the Year, WICT Rocky Mountain
  • Shelly Moorman – Rising Star, WICT Rocky Mountain