{"661417":{"#nid":"661417","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Students, Mentors Look for a Match at MentIEs Kickoff Event","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJust about a year ago, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/news\/newly-launched-menties-program-connects-isye-undergraduates-and-alumni\u0022\u003Ethe H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) launched MentIEs\u003C\/a\u003E, a mentorship program designed at connecting undergraduates with ISyE alumni who can offer real-world practical insights students might not otherwise receive inside the classroom.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cStudents who want to have a career outside academia need to learn from people who have been there and know hot it is done,\u201d \u003Cstrong\u003EDamon P. Williams\u003C\/strong\u003E said at the time. Williams is a senior lecturer and director of ISyE\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/about\/school\/diversity-and-inclusivity\u0022\u003ECenter for Academics, Success, and Equity\u003C\/a\u003E (CASE), and was recently named the College of Engineering\u2019s first associate dean for inclusive excellence and chief diversity officer.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter a pilot program this past year, which saw high levels of participation from both students and alumni, Williams heard quite a bit of feedback from the students. Students loved the opportunity and gave great reviews of their mentors, but most had one specific request:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThey wanted the opportunity to meet and network with other mentors around the program, whom they had heard about from their peers throughout the year.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOn Sept. 19, this year\u2019s cohort of mentees got that opportunity at the program\u2019s kickoff event. Students and alumni mentors from around the country came together for an evening of food and networking, where no question was off limits and students were able to hear advice from individuals in a variety of fields.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSimply put, it just broadens your scope,\u201d second-year student \u003Cstrong\u003EQuincy Howard\u003C\/strong\u003E said of the event. \u201cYou get so many different perspectives through people\u2019s careers and their experiences at Georgia Tech. It broadens your scope on what you think you can do and what your degree can do for you.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe dinner was modeled like a speed dating\u0026nbsp;event. Students and mentors were assigned to a table to begin the evening, where they ate dinner and got to know each other. After dinner and a 15-minute networking round, the bell sounded and students moved to a new table. There, they spoke with a new cohort of mentors who had entirely different experiences and perspectives than the group they left behind.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThere were presidents of technology companies and consultants, sales excellence managers and optimization experts, CEOs and business founders. There were those who had long-since graduated and others who were in the early stages of their careers.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere\u2019s no way we were getting another opportunity like this,\u201d said \u003Cstrong\u003EHarish Kanthi\u003C\/strong\u003E, another second-year student who said he couldn\u2019t pass it up when he heard about it in Williams\u2019 class. Laughing, he added, \u201cThe net worth in this room is off the charts.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStudents involved in the program will continue to connect with their mentors, as well as their new connections developed at the dinner. For the mentors, it\u2019s a great opportunity to pass on their experience to a new generation and to find bright minds they may be able to call upon in the future.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EView a full list of mentors and companies who participated in the kickoff event below:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EAlicia Cardillo \u2013 SVP, Financial Crimes Executive, Truist\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EBob Martin \u2013 President, RDMartin, Ltd.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EDan Shinedling \u2013 KS2 Technologies, Inc.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EDean Athanassiades \u2013 Senior Director of Program Management, Philips\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EEmily Tilden\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EErrika Moore \u2013 Executive Director, National STEM Funders Network\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EJason DeLoach \u2013 VP of Supply Chain Engineering Solutions, Americold, LLC\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EJim McClelland\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EKaitlin Tennille \u2013 Senior Manager, Industrial Engineering, Walt Disney World\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EKniffen Kelly \u2013 CEO, Shebang, LLC\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ELouis Wooten \u2013 Consultant, Simon-Kucher \u0026amp; Partners\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EMaria Rey-Marston \u2013 Managing Director, Accenture\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EMegan Kogan \u2013 Manager, Insight Sourcing Group\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EMelody Mulaik \u2013 President, Revenue Cycle Coding Strategies, LLC\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EReed Baker \u2013 Senior Vice President of Operations, Advantage Industrial Automation\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003EReid Bond \u2013 Sales Excellence Manager, Eastman Chemical Company\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ERenee Butler \u2013 Senior Associate Dean and Professor, Kennesaw State University\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ESaeed Siddiqi \u2013 Director of Supply Chain Optimization \u0026amp; Infrastructure Planning, Coca-Cola\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003ESam Millson \u2013 Founder, the Millson Group LLC\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EISye students and alumni mentors from around the country came together for an evening of food and speed dating-style\u0026nbsp;networking, where no question was off limits and students were able to hear advice from individuals in a variety of fields.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Students and alumni mentors from around the country came together for an evening of food and networking, where no question was off limits and students were able to hear advice from individuals in a variety of fields."}],"uid":"33939","created_gmt":"2022-09-21 19:06:52","changed_gmt":"2023-05-17 16:36:45","author":"David Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2022-09-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2022-09-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"661415":{"id":"661415","type":"image","title":"MentIEs Kickoff Event 1","body":null,"created":"1663786886","gmt_created":"2022-09-21 19:01:26","changed":"1663786886","gmt_changed":"2022-09-21 19:01:26","alt":"A group of students and mentors meet at the MentIEs kickoff dinner","file":{"fid":"250529","name":"MicrosoftTeams-image (16).jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MicrosoftTeams-image%20%2816%29.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MicrosoftTeams-image%20%2816%29.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":232772,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/MicrosoftTeams-image%20%2816%29.jpeg?itok=8buZD_iG"}},"661416":{"id":"661416","type":"image","title":"MentIEs Kickoff Event 2","body":null,"created":"1663786921","gmt_created":"2022-09-21 19:02:01","changed":"1663786921","gmt_changed":"2022-09-21 19:02:01","alt":"A student smiles during the MentIes kickoff event","file":{"fid":"250530","name":"MicrosoftTeams-image (13).jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MicrosoftTeams-image%20%2813%29.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MicrosoftTeams-image%20%2813%29.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":180258,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/MicrosoftTeams-image%20%2813%29.jpeg?itok=CQyXbQbl"}}},"media_ids":["661415","661416"],"groups":[{"id":"660354","name":"Center for Academics, Success, and Equity"},{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDavid Mitchell\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:david.mitchell@isye.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Edavid.mitchell@isye.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}