VCU news

By Joan Tupponce

At first, Ella Danilovich wasn’t sure what she had to offer as a mentor. Even though she has worked at Virginia Commonwealth University for 16 years, her mentee in VCU’s Information Technology Career Community mentorship program had more years at the university than she did.

But when Danilovich saw how her partner was still eager to learn, she realized the power that mentoring provides.

“Mentorship is about perspective, encouragement and sharing experiences in a way that helps someone else grow,” said Danilovich, who works in the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation and now chairs the ITCC mentorship program. “Mentorship programs offer a structured way to network and connect with people from different departments and disciplines that you might otherwise never encounter.”

Last year, Danilovich mentored Lena Zharekhin, who now serves as the ITCC mentorship chair-elect.

“This full-circle moment really demonstrates the program’s success in developing leadership skills,” Danilovich said.

This month, the ITCC partnered with the Leadership Career Community for a mentorship panel during the VCU Staff Senate Career Development Conference. Held virtually on March 11 and in-person on March 13, the conference featured interactive development activities that propel career development goals – and the session on mentorship in career communities was appropriately subtitled “Driving Growth and Success.”

“Our panel of mentors and mentees from the ITCC and LCC talked about how mentoring helps people grow in their careers, what people learn from mentors – and it provided tips for finding or becoming a mentor,” Danilovich said.

The panel also was a chance to share personal stories and advice about what makes mentorship relationships work well.

“We’re trying to inspire people to participate in mentorship” – either as mentors or mentees – “by highlighting how these relationships can positively impact careers, provide guidance during challenges and foster professional growth,” Danilovich said.

The ITCC is a part of the career communities program that launched in 2018 through VCU Human Resources’ career development unit. The communities serve as platforms for VCU professionals to network, strengthen competencies, promote innovation and exchange best practices among colleagues who share interests in a particular field. Career communities are established around the VCU job family structure. 

Many of the communities offer a form of mentoring in their programming, formally and informally, which allows employees to partner with individuals who support their career development. It has been shown to increase morale, retention and employee engagement.

“The ITCC group has done an excellent job with implementing a formal mentoring program within their community to connect employees within their job family, demonstrating employee engagement and advancement,” said Beverly Walker, HR program manager for career development. Their commitment to employee development “is impressive, with an intentional impact on retention,” she added. “I am excited about the work they’ve done, the example they’ve set and their next steps.” 

Alex Henson, VCU’s chief information officer, sees the ITCC and its mentorship program as being instrumental in fostering engagement across VCU’s technology organizations.

“It has helped drive collaboration between staff members who might not normally work together and has given both central and distributed IT staff another opportunity for career development as well as a renewed sense of belonging,” he said.

Michael Diaz, ITCC executive chair-elect and lead IT systems analyst in the School of Medicine’s IT department, was a mentee before becoming a mentor. Through mentorship, he said, he has not only been able to gain a deeper understanding of what others in the university do, but he has also learned from their experience and shared his experience with others.

“This information has been beyond invaluable to me,” Diaz said.

Penny McFarline, HR liaison to the IT career community, called the ITCC mentorship program an “exemplar for other career communities,” and she noted its strength in recent years amid the pandemic’s shadows.

“I am impressed with how it rebounded post-COVID to a robust participation of 56 in this past fiscal year,” she said.

The guidance that mentees receive can sometimes lead to a change in careers. Michael Sprouse, insurance and risk management director in the Department of Occupational Health and Safety, listened to the advice of his mentor several years ago to launch a career in safety.

“My mentor directed me on career advancement and which certifications to pursue,” said Sprouse, who is now the Leadership Career Community mentoring chair. 

The simple act of sharing experiences and expertise can be powerful. The conversations James Romanik, senior director of development for the School of Social Work and executive chair of the LCC, has experienced between mentor and mentee have been fascinating, he said.  

“We touched on matters of professional and personal life, encouraged one another and offered advice on a host of issues,” Romanik said. “This was someone that I wouldn’t have met were it not for the LCC’s program. For that, I’ll always be grateful.”

For VCU staff interested in learning more about career communities and mentorship, visit the Career Communities website.