First Class of Army Senior Fellows Graduates from Department of the Army Mentoring Program.

Pathbuilders and the Department of the Army celebrated Mentorship Day at the Army Senior Fellows Cornerstone Conference on July 30 at the Pentagon

ATLANTA -- The U.S. Army Senior Fellows Program and Pathbuilders, Inc. recognized 18 mentee-mentor partnerships during Mentorship Day at the Army Senior Fellows Cornerstone Conference on July 30 at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Fourteen of the fellows are graduating and moving to senior leadership positions. Four other partnerships will continue.

"It was gratifying to see the progress these mentees have made in the last seven months. Each has grown as a professional and member of our civilian corps of the armed services. Several have already achieved promotions, fulfilling the goals they set for themselves upon beginning the mentorship program," said Helene Lollis, president of Pathbuilders.

The Army Senior Fellows Program recruits and selects high-potential civilian leaders to participate in a range of customized executive assignments and educational programs designed to build participants' executive core competencies and help them to manage higher levels of responsibility in complex operating environments.

The day-long event kicked off with keynote speaker Jill Ratliff, senior vice president of human resources for Assurant Specialty Property. Ratliff spoke on the topic of executive presence. The afternoon included a panel discussion with Army Senior Fellows graduates and a workshop on "Developing Your Internal Market Plan," led by Helene Lollis, president of Pathbuilders.

Pathbuilders was engaged to develop and deliver a structured and formal mentoring program for the Department of the Army's high-potential civilian leaders. The program includes content-driven discussion guides and interactive seminars targeted at developing this next generation of leadership.

Each Fellow was matched with a mentor who is a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) Corps from outside of his/her reporting structure, creating a partnership that allows for open dialog and feedback. The program kicked-off December 15 in Washington DC with participants traveling from across the United States and Europe to attend the inaugural session.

Among the mentees was 32-year Army career veteran and Army Senior Fellow Charles Fritz. Just prior to graduation, he accepted a top leadership position with the National Institutes of Health, Health and Human Services. Fritz will serve as director, Office of Strategic Planning for Administration. Fritz is one of four Fellows in his class to accept an SES Corps position. Fritz credits the ASF Mentorship Program for helping him successfully achieve the highest competitive level of civilian service. The structured mentorship relationships are a primary tier of the Fellows' experience. Fritz was paired with mentor Barbara Heffernan, chief of Resource Management for the Assistant Chief of Staff for Information Management.

"She gave me quality, unbiased, unvarnished feedback," said Fritz. "Without my mentor, I probably wouldn't have been offered the position."

The Pathbuilders curriculum highlighted topics such as self-awareness and interpersonal leadership skills. Fellows also focused on how to navigate organizational politics more effectively and how to further develop their networks within federal agencies.

About Pathbuilders Inc.

Pathbuilders partners with Fortune-ranked organizations to develop high-performing individuals through mentoring, executive development programs and consulting. Through highly-customized talent management, Pathbuilders accelerates the career growth of individuals and directly contributes to bottom line success of client organizations. Pathbuilders was founded in 1995 with a unique focus on developing the potential of high-performing women and creating gender-diverse organizations. Today, Pathbuilders leverages the corporate experience of its leadership team to develop impactful developmental experiences for high-potential men and women in forward thinking organizations. Pathbuilders has worked with more than 3000 professionals from more than 300 client organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, college and universities, and government agencies.