Mentor Richmond is a leadership development program designed for professionals to learn from some of our region’s most dynamic leaders – while fostering connections with other professionals and identifying and applying their own unique strengths to their leadership journeys.
As residents of the Greater Richmond region, we are privileged to live and work in a community that has some of the best-led businesses and organizations in the nation. Mentor Richmond participants have the unique opportunity to engage in small, casual conversations with 5 impactful leaders in our community. These leaders represent a wide-range of backgrounds, industries and paths to their success- yet no matter what your personal career journey looks like, Mentor Richmond participants gain so much from the knowledge shared.
During their time in Mentor Richmond, participants work together to prepare for their conversation with each of the five Mentors – designing an agenda that lets the participants get to know the Mentors as “real” people, while thoughtfully discussing more sensitive questions and topics that all leaders are facing.
Through this preparation, small group discussions, and partnered work, Mentor Richmond participants form a bond while they learn from the diverse perspectives of the other mentors in the program- their peers.
Reflection is a key component of the program, allowing participants to see commonalities and differences in leaders.
Participants bring their experience full circle while utilizing the CliftonStrengths assessment woven throughout the program – identifying, appreciating and applying their own unique talents to their leadership development journey.
This unique team-based mentoring program has graduated over 500 emerging leaders since its inception in 2008.
Expand each section below to learn more about the program.
- Provide a venue for professionals to engage with and learn from regional leaders.
- Facilitate relationship building for professionals in order to expand their networks and share professional knowledge and experience.
- Encourage participants to identify and apply their own unique strengths to their personal and professional leadership journeys
- Facilitate continued professional development and reflection
- Intimate conversations with a dynamic line-up of leaders in the Greater Richmond Region.
- An expanded network of professionals representing a variety of industries and backgrounds in the Richmond community.
- Understanding of the complexity and variance of career paths.
- A better understanding and appreciation of your strengths, and ways to apply them in your personal and professional life.
- Facilitated reflection and exploration of own personal and professional development
- Opportunities for growth; through the challenge to examine yourself, leadership, your community and world with a different lens
Mentor Richmond Alumni Testimonials
“Mentor Richmond provided a great opportunity to meet like-minded Richmond leaders in a time of limited networking opportunities due to the public health crisis. I found the most value in our mentorship sessions with local leaders, hearing their stories on career growth, seizing opportunities, and personal challenges along their path. Our internal team sessions, focused on networking, strengths exploration, and discussing our learnings from the mentors, provided an opportunity to know each other better while also encouraging one another to grow in our own relationships, career, and dreams.” – Lewis Nelson, Fluke Corporation, Mentor Richmond Class 26
“The Richmond Mentor program has been a wonderful experience. The program allows you to connect with peers in different industries to come together and talk about a variety of life, work and social topics. It is incredibly uplifting to realize that the peers within the program have the same goals, desires, and even failures and fears, regardless of the company, industry, position, or tenure. This program won’t teach you how to make more money, or how to be a CEO by age 30; this program reveals something much more important – how to have a real and lasting impact on your coworkers, your family and your community.” – Elizabeth Eschbach, Hourigan, Mentor Richmond Class 26
Fall 2023 Applications Are Now Closed.
Participation is limited. To apply, you must:
- Be an emerging leader (<10 years of experience) with a desire to grow personally and professionally be more actively engaged in the Richmond community.
- Be career-driven with a strong focus on professional development.
- Have support from your corporation, organization or association to participate.
- Be prepared to attend at the opening session, closing session, 4 Mentor sessions and 4 planning sessions.
- Be prepared to actively engage with your team throughout the duration of the program.
