2021 Innovation Award

NORDP Mentoring Committee

The Mentoring Committee members leverage their individual skills and expertise, and have built a community within the larger NORDP community dedicated to advancing the field of research development through the power of mentorship. It is a source of pride that this committee has, since 2016, been open, welcoming, and supportive of all who wish to participate.

The Mentoring Committee is invested in innovation. This spans from the evolving structure of the committee to deliberate interactive relationships with NORDP committees, workgroups, and external partners. From providing professional development opportunities to creating multiple paths to leadership, the foundation of all endeavors is to imbue a culture of mentorship throughout NORDP.

Some innovative examples from this group include:

● The NORDP Mentoring Committee has developed ground-breaking programming for the RD profession that includes a metric-based mentoring matching system, adapting materials to the RD field from the acclaimed Entering Mentoring program, and the formation of #NORDPMentoringMatters #PayItForward #ICARE themed peer mentoring groups.

● The NORDP Mentoring Committee is constantly engaging in self-reflection and assessment of their materials, tools, ideas, and strategy in order to keep us up-to-date with current research about mentoring best practices.

● And they keep it fun. Scott Balderson says, “As a committee we take pains to build in some levity and humanity in all that we do because it’s healthy for humans and adds to engagement and participation. Extra slides in the Lightning Storm. Zoom costumes. So, we remind each other, in between fits of hyper-productivity, that we are people first and exercise the right to the pursuit of happiness.”

Congratulations to the members of the Mentoring Committee!