Facilities Management staff celebrates mentoring

A group of staff from Facilities Management gathered June 2 for a celebratory luncheon to mark completion of the department’s Mentor Program.

The FM Mentor Program is unusual as one of the few formal mentoring programs at CU-Boulder housed within an individual department. It was the third round of staff to complete the nine-month program, which launched in 2012.

The program pairs mentors with mentees in an opportunity for professional growth and development. Mentors help their partners identify career goals, involve them in hands-on learning opportunities, and facilitate internal and external networking. Some of the program’s broader goals are fostering teamwork, transferring institutional knowledge, and planning for succession as key leaders retire.

“The program promotes teamwork and partnership, and breaks down silos that exist,” said Hopeton Willis, an IT technician who participated as a mentee; several program participants spoke about their experiences during the luncheon. “It also helped me learn more about Facilities Management and what the department means for the university.”

David Danielson, assistant vice chancellor for Facilities Management, stressed the program’s many benefits to the department, from increasing employee retention to helping plan for succession.

“We really value our employees as everyone here plays a part in how this university operates,” he said.

Eleven mentor/mentee pairs participated in the program. The next round of applications will be accepted in August, with the program set to begin again in September. For more information, contact Andy Mead (Andrew.mead@colorado.edu; 303-492-7697).