During a typical workday, the paths of Camille-Kay Brewer, manager of patient transport until last fall, and Tammy Snyder, chief administrative officer, anesthesia and critical care medicine, may not cross. But a mentoring program at The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) aimed at nurturing the career aspirations of underrepresented minorities allowed them to form a special bond.
Last year, the hospital’s Diversity Council launched the Vivien Thomas Diversity and Inclusion Mentorship Program, with support from their executive champion, Kris Lukish, vice president of human resources, and the Workforce Diversity & Inclusion Subcommittee co-chairs, Sajid Manzoor, director of adult respiratory therapy, and Ruth Bell, senior radiation therapist, with the goal of supporting underrepresented minority employees who aspire to develop and grow their leadership skills to help prepare them to move into middle- and senior-level management roles.
Nicole Iarrobino, senior project administrator of patient- and family-centered care, who is a member of the Workforce Diversity & Inclusion Subcommittee, says it’s important that the program live up to the legacy of Thomas, a lab technician pioneer who removed economic and racial barriers.
“A goal of our committee is to prioritize workforce diversity, especially in leadership roles,” says Iarrobino. “One of the best ways to do that is to pair JHH leadership with underrepresented minority employees who are looking to gain leadership skills, and invite underrepresented minorities [to apply for the program].”
Brewer, who was paired with Snyder, says she has reaped benefits from Snyder’s experience and guidance. “This program has been a great opportunity to connect with an up-and-coming leader within the institution who I otherwise would not have met,” says Snyder. “I appreciate Camille-Kay’s perspective and how she thinks about various issues — she’s allowed me to expand my own perspective and thought process.”
Cultivating Opportunities for Success
Launched almost a year ago, the mentorship program now has eight mentors and eight mentees, all of whom commit to a two-hour kickoff session, meet a minimum of six times over the year, and follow up with a one-hour, mid-year check-in session — discussing how the mentees can continue to grow in the workforce.
Mentees must be an underrepresented minority, typically in a managerial role or higher at JHH, with the desire to work outside their department and the ability to expand and grow their leadership skills while partnering with a JHH senior leader. “The key to success for mentees is to be a driver and have the personality that makes them strive to be leaders,” says Iarrobino.
Snyder has witnessed Brewer become more introspective about her strengths and opportunities for growth and learning. During the program, Brewer was promoted to administrative manager in the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine.
“Tammy is a very effective mentor possessing great leadership qualities, and is consistently poised to help with wisdom, emotional intelligence and deep confidence,” says Brewer. “I am in my current role because of her assistance in helping me make a strategic connection.”
Making Connections
“I need to learn how to do that!” was the first thought of mentee Meredith Hurston after watching her mentor, Melissa Richardson, vice president of care coordination and clinical resource management, during a meeting on their first shadow day with one another. Hurston, a quality assurance specialist in pathology, was referring to the “eloquence and diplomacy” Richardson demonstrated when she addressed her peers and staff.
“Melissa is a very open and transparent leader who gave me guidance to prepare myself to further my career and exposed me to things I typically would not see, like senior level and committee meetings,” says Hurston.
On the recommendation of her mentor, Hurston has explored training programs that will allow her to pursue her career goals in a data analytics or project management role.
“This program made me appreciate the fact that we have a pool of amazing people doing great work who could benefit by understanding available career opportunities and the steps to become eligible for them,” says Richardson. “This is something as leaders that we need to communicate and encourage. The mentorship provides a great chance to do so.
Instilling Growth Mindset
“Confident and knowledgeable” is how Valerie Dobson, surgery finance billing and compliance manager, describes her mentor, Colin Semper, clinical administrator in the Department of Orthopaedics. “Colin has taught me how to be a leader, and that being a manager for my team is to build individuals up to be better and to provide tools for a successful performance, not to maintain the same skills.”
“This program is a great avenue for Johns Hopkins to empower minority employees. Our minority employees need to know that there are leaders/others who look like them; i.e., gender, race and religion,” says Semper. “This program is a great avenue for Johns Hopkins to empower minority employees.”
If you are interested in becoming a mentor or mentee in the Vivien Thomas Diversity and Inclusion Mentorship Program or in joining a Johns Hopkins Hospital Diversity Council subcommittee, contact Nicole Iarrobino at [email protected].