Mentoring Committee

NORDP Mentoring Program

Applications for the 2024-2025 NORDP Mentoring Program will open in May 2024.

The NORDP Mentoring Program is a benefit available to all NORDP Members. This program enables research development professionals to network with NORDP colleagues who have volunteered to share their expertise, guidance, and support. Previous NORDP Mentees are particularly encouraged to pay it forward by offering to serve as Mentors. #PayItForward.

Mentor-Mentee Matching

An underlying philosophy of the program is that the Mentee drives the relationship and the relationship is reciprocal in nature. Participants have access to a variety of resources to enhance the mentoring relationship. The Mentoring Committee offers 1:1 dyad- and 1:3 cohort-mentoring matches annually.

Participants are matched once a year based upon criteria such as areas of interest, institution type, years in research development, and goals. Once matched, the two individuals develop and coordinate the collaboration that works best for them. Although there are no formal rules for managing the interactions, we encourage a regular schedule of communication, whether meeting in person or connecting by email, virtual meeting, telephone—and certainly getting together at NORDP meetings!

Mentoring program matches and resources are managed within the Wisdom Share platform. Email [email protected] for instructions on how to create an account in Wisdom Share, and gain access to the Learning Library. 

Peer Mentoring

For those interested in developing peer mentoring relationships, Peer Mentoring Groups (PMG) are available, and can be joined at any time by any NORDP member. Current topics range from Career & Professional Development, Leadership & Management to Proposal Development and more. PMGs are composed of NORDP members at many professional development levels, who have similar interests and share resources, provide feedback, and act as accountability partners in building skills. To join one or multiple Peer Mentoring Groups, email [email protected]for instructions on creating a Wisdom Share account. The dates and times of active PMG meetings are set by volunteer conveners and can be found in Wisdom Share. PMG topics continue to evolve in our changing RD environment, and if you are interested in starting a new PMG contact [email protected] to learn about the application process. 

Mentor Training


The NORDP Mentoring Committee offers an interactive webinar series based on the NIH-funded Entering Mentoring curriculum, initially developed for mentoring researchers and tailored for RD professionals. Using evidence-based strategies, participants will build competencies crucial to the success of the mentoring relationship and to expand mentor training across the research enterprise.  The curriculum results from an association between the NORDP Mentoring Committee and the University of Wisconsin Center for Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) in collaboration with the National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN), organizations involved in developing and validating the original curriculum. RD professionals at all levels of mentoring can explore how mentoring (shown to improve career outcomes, impact employee engagement and retention, and lead to more inclusive work environments) can benefit mentors and mentees in RD. If you would like to be contacted when the next workshop series is scheduled, please complete this form.

Committee Mission, Vision and Values

Mission: Equip Research Development professionals for success by offering meaningful mentoring expertise, support and resources.

#NORDPMentoringMatters

Vision: As a leading research development organization, NORDP is recognized for a dynamic, sustainable culture of mentorship.

#PayItForward

Values: Inclusivity • Commitment • Accountability • Reciprocity • Empowerment

 #ICARE

NORDP fosters a culture of inclusive excellence by actively promoting and supporting diversity, inclusion and equity in all its forms to expand our worldview, enrich our work, and elevate our profession.

Committee Goals and Objectives

The Mentoring Committee fosters meaningful and sustained professional relationships driven by the needs of the program participants and built on a foundation of reciprocity. To that end, the committee:

  • Recruits members annually to volunteer their time as peer mentors, mentors and mentees in the annual NORDP Mentoring Program
  • Develops and implements mechanisms to match participants with the most appropriate mentors/mentees
  • Provides onboarding documents and webinars to ensure a successful start to your mentoring relationship
  • Collects resources for best practices in successful mentoring relationships
  • Offers participants guidance and support in creating and sustaining the mentoring relationship
  • Solicits and acts upon feedback from program participants about the effectiveness of the program
  • Organizes program events for mentors and mentees at the annual NORDP conference
  • Develops tools and resources applicable not only for NORDP, but also for our home institutions
  • Instills a culture of mentoring throughout NORDP

Committee Structure

The Mentoring Committee meets monthly as a full committee via Zoom. Throughout the year, committee members meet on an ad-hoc basis to develop and refine program components. 

The committee relies on a wide-variety of skills and talents and is always looking for member contribution and input.  Please email [email protected] for more information on how to volunteer!

We believe that mentoring is a professional responsibility. Through the committee’s work, we provide a foundation of resources and tools (Mentoring Toolkit) that NORDP members can apply in their own professional relationships, and in their work with faculty and staff. Come and join us as we support Research Development professionals.

See various Mentoring Committee presentations in the Webinar Archives section of the NORDP Members Only website.

How to get involved

Interested in becoming a member of the NORDP Mentoring Committee? Email [email protected] or contact one of the committee representatives listed below:

Hilda McMackin, Co-Chair
[email protected]
Director of Research Administration Systems and Reporting
Vanderbilt University 


Elizabeth Lathrop, Co-Chair
[email protected]
Proposal Development Specialist, 
A. James Clark School of Engineering
University of Maryland


Angela Jordan, Co-Chair
[email protected]
Director of Research Development
University of South Alabama


Kathy Partlow, Outgoing Co-Chair
[email protected] 
NORDP Mentoring Committee


Jennifer Glass, Board Liaison
[email protected] 
Research Development Manager
Office of Research & Innovation
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth