The first group of Distinguished Fellows was agreed upon by the National Leadership Team in May 2018 from the entire list of Fellows, using distinct criteria that demonstrated their continued dedication to the Society since becoming a Fellow.  The below Distinguished Fellows constitute the Advisory Committee to the Fellows Leadership above.

Each of SAME’s 17 regions has a Fellows Regional Point of Contact to ensure that Fellows throughout each region are kept abreast of happenings within the Academy of Fellows and to be able to solicit support for local, regional and national events.

Communications

E-mails pertaining to Fellows are sent via the SAME database.  It is imperative that your record is up-to-date if you want to receive Fellows Communications.  To update your record, you must login (top of the page) and then click on "Member Account" in the left menu.

SAME’s strategic plan calls for establishing a Society-wide strategy, to promote and advance a robust and integrated mentoring program encompassing all levels of the Society National Headquarters, Posts, and Individual Members. Building on our historic commitment to mentoring, the Academy of Fellows (AOF) is accepting the challenge, asking our members to actively join the rank of “Mentor” by increasing their engagement in SAME mentoring activities.

Charge: “I charge you to be a mentor. A Fellow fully understands the importance of growing future professionals and leaders and continually seeks opportunities to do so. A Fellow actively participates in SAME education, training and professional development programs, sharing experience, insight, expertise and best practices and doing so with enthusiasm. May the laurel branch with berries on your medallion remind you to remain a mentor throughout your professional career.”

Pledge “I pledge to fulfill the charges to me as a SAME Fellow. I will be a role model and mentor….”

As a Fellow, share your knowledge, skills and expertise to shape the future. By serving as a mentor to tomorrow's leaders, you uphold the dignity and quality of the profession and advance the professionalism of SAME Members. As a mentor, you interact and communicate with mentees, on a consistent basis, both in-person or by other means, and serve in many important roles, including:

Advocate

• Arrange for the mentee to participate in high-visibility activities within your organization and in SAME-sponsored activities.
• Encourage members in your organization to take a leadership role in SAME at the Post, Regional or National level. Show interest in their participation and become a resource for information.

Advisor

• Communicate the formal and informal realities of progression in your organization.
• Recommend beneficial training opportunities (esp. SAME-sponsored opportunities).
• Recommend appropriate strategies for career direction, and act as a sounding board for ideas and career concerns
• Review mentee’s professional development plan at least once a year.
• Identify resources to help the mentee solve specific problems, then follow up to ensure that the referred resources were useful or engage in dialog to answer questions.

Coach

• Clarify performance goals and developmental needs.
• Teach managerial, communications and technical skills (on the job training)
• Recommend specific behaviors for professional and individual development success.

Sponsor

• Expand the mentee’s network of professional contacts, starting with introductions to colleagues at SAME events that you attend together.
• Bring together different mentees who might mutually benefit by networking and collaborating with each other.
• Connect mentees with appropriate educational or employment opportunities.
• Help members in your organization pursue licensing or certification by providing time off to study/take the test, paying for prep courses and/or the test.
• Engage mentees in Post committee initiatives or other activities to provide a forum for peer group interaction.

Engineering & Construction Camps – Actively engage in recruiting potential young professionals to volunteer and serve as mentors, squad leaders, logistical support, and other staff positions that ensures the camps continued success. Mentor recruitment activities are in high gear January – June. To learn more about camp mentor recruitment and how you can help, visit the main camps page. You can also contact Scott Prosuch, AOF Vice-chair for External Relations and camp director for the US Air Force Academy camp.

Leader Development Program – Serve as a mentor to help shepherd the professional development of these promising professionals throughout the program year. In this role, you will provide individual professional guidance and support to advance their leadership skills. Mentors are typically recruited in April of each year. To learn more, visit the main LDP page. or contact Susan Thames, LDP Mentor POC.

Young Professionals Community of Interest – Foster the relationship that has been forged with the Young Professionals Community of Interest (COI). Support the joint activities at National events, as well as. networking lunches, co-hosted happy hours, professional development webinars, speed mentoring, and one-on-one connections at the Post level. To learn more about Young Professionals, visit the YP COI page, or contact James Buckingham, the YP Mentoring POC, or Philios Angelides, the AOF Mentoring POC.

Finding the right mentor can help you elevate your career. With over 900 members, there is a Fellow who understands your position, functional area, and goals and aspiration. And mentoring will cover the full continuum of an individual’s career development path – from school, to college, to career start and progression to management and leadership roles. Whether you are active military, federal civilian, or private industry employee, or still in school or college, AOF can match you with a successful professional to help shape your skills, navigate your career path, and support you in accessing the resources necessary to advance. Contact Philios Angelides, the AOF Mentoring POC.

Mentoring Matters No Matter Where (video)

Presenter: Colonel Ray Kimball, Chief of Faculty Learning, Innovation, Collaboration, and Research and Director of the Center for Junior Officers, U.S. Military Academy at West Point

Join Col Kimball on a prerecorded discussion on why mentoring matters. Topics include whether or not mentoring is different for enlisted, officers, and industry; the difference between coaching and mentoring; whether or not supervisors can or should be mentors; peer mentoring; and cross-gender/cross-ethnicity mentoring. This is a valuable webinar for those looking for the perfect mentor and those wishing to be true leaders with the capacity to mentor others.

Communicate your Post’s mentoring activities and relevant stories by completing this webform for our compilation of best practices and lessons learned.