The Mentoring Relationship: Creating success from your mentor/protégé partnership
Session Description:
Hear from a panel of professionals who have experienced the highs and lows of a development career as they talk about why a mentorship is a powerful tool in your journey as a successful fundraiser. Led by moderator Samantha Wheeler Marrs, Senior Associate Vice President, Development and Alumni Relations, Campaign Administration at Virginia Commonwealth University, and seasoned mentor, this candid discussion will encourage you to find your place in a mentoring relationship and strengthen your confidence to serve as a mentor, protégé, or both.
NOTE: This session is presented as an introduction to AFP-Central Virginia’s new 1:1 Mentoring Program. Profile submissions to become a mentor or protégé will open on September 15, 2022. If you have ever wondered if you can be a mentor, or if you’ve wanted a mentor but don’t know how to find one, this session is for you!
About the Presenter
Samantha Wheeler Marrs joined VCU twenty years ago as a fundraiser. Today, she oversees the infrastructure that supports all fundraising across the university, Massey Cancer Center, and the VCU Health System. She started her philanthropic career in 1991 when she joined The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as a program associate in the higher education funding program. She has started or served on the boards of numerous nonprofits in the Richmond community, most recently on the boards of AFP, VAFRE, and Quill Theatre. In 2020, she received the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education - Southeastern District (CASE - District 3) Mentor of the Year Award. Samantha is also the 2017 recipient of VAFRE’s Nina Abady Award, Central Virginia’s top award honoring fundraisers.
About the Panelists
Carol Anne Baker Lajoie:
Carol Anne oversees fundraising and marketing activities for the Richmond SPCA. She joined us in 2019 as our director of development before being promoted to our chief advancement officer in 2022. Prior to joining our team, she served as director of development and external relations for the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University and chief development officer for the YWCA of Richmond. Carol Anne spent 11 years at the Virginia Historical Society before joining the YWCA. She holds a bachelor of science degree from VCU and a master’s from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Carol Anne served on the board of the Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives and is a past chair of Impact 100, a women’s grant making collaborative. Her passions include Bruce Springsteen, making up songs about her dogs and being around smart women. She lives with her husband, adopted dogs and a flock of highly demanding chickens in North Chesterfield.
Suzanne Hogg:
Suzanne began her career in nonprofit development at her alma mater, St. Andrews University, in Laurinburg, NC and Salem Academy and College in Winston-Salem, NC. She was then Senior Partner at DSG Consulting from 1999 until she joined Faison in 2016. She is a former Board President for the Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives and is an adjunct faculty member at University of Richmond's Institute on Philanthropy.
Suzanne loves the "positive reinforcement" of ABA and believes that it applies to all sorts of learning. "Good job walking with me!" makes her smile every time she hears it. In her role as VP for Development, she is committed to being part of the economic engine that will grow The Faison Center to serve more ASD diagnosed individuals wherever they are on the spectrum and to build Faison's reputation as a national leader in autism services.
Suzanne holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Andrews and is a member of the Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Joycelyn Mahone:
Before joining VCU's University Development team, Joycelyn Mahone was assistant director of leadership annual giving at the University of South Florida. Mahone earned a B.A. in legal studies from the University of Central Florida and a master's in organizational leadership from Brenau University.
Zoom will begin at approximately 8:20 am. The program will run from approximately 8:30 - 9:30 am.
Full participation in this program is applicable for 1 point in Category 1.B – Education of the CFRE International application for initial certification and/or recertification.