Fact Sheet 2007–3089

November 2007

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) prides itself in its excellence in 

science. The resource bank of skills and knowledge that is contained 

within the current employees of the USGS is what makes our science 

excellent. With an aging workforce, we must ensure that the knowledge 

and skills represented by those years of experience are passed to new 

employees. To ensure that this bank of knowledge and experience is 

not lost and thereby sustain the excellence of our science, the Mentoring Program focuses on intentional mentoring, the deliberate transfer of 

skills and knowledge. Skills transfer from more experienced employees 

to those who are less experienced is critical. By placing an emphasis on 

intentional mentoring, we help to meet the scientific and technical needs 

of the employees by offering a cost-effective way to gain knowledge and 

skills necessary to maintain excellence in science. By encouraging and 

fostering a mentoring atmosphere within the USGS, we are investing in 

the future of our organization. With improved 

technical skills, increased job effectiveness, 

and resulting satisfaction, USGS employees will not only be more invested and 

engaged, they will also 

be able to work smarter, 

thus benefiting from 

the experience of their 

mentor. 

U.S. Geological Survey Mentoring Program—

Paired for a Powerful Science Future

What is Mentoring in the USGS?

Mentoring is a tool that provides cost-effective training and development. It also encourages professional and personal growth. Mentoring in the USGS is a developmental partnership in which two 

people invest time, know-how 

and effort to enhance growth, 

knowledge, and skills and to 

accelerate acculturation and 

engagement. This partnership 

transcends duty and obligation 

and often involves coaching, networking, sponsoring, and career 

counseling. It is an incredibly 

effective form of training with a 

personal side. It is a connection 

that provides unique benefits to both mentoring partners.

Check out the online course “Introduction to Mentoring” at URL 

http://oedbreeze.cr.usgs.gov/mentoringintro/ to discover what 

the program is about and how it can help you. 

Vision and Goals 

The vision of the USGS Mentoring Program 

is to build and sustain a culture that fosters 

meaningful partnerships and connections among 

interested employees to increase skills, knowledge, satisfaction, and engagement. 

The USGS Mentoring Program is designed 

to help achieve the following goals in service 

to science:

•	 Facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and 

support of integrated science activities 

•	 Transfer knowledge, skills, and abilities

•	 Accelerate acculturation and increase 

employee engagement and productivity for new 

employees

•	 Improve recruitment and retention

•	 Promote development of leadership skills at 

all levels

•	 Support personal and professional development

“To be able to perform well in an organization, it is very important to understand the organization and to know what’s 

expected of you. That information does not always come easily. There are employee handbooks, policy documents, 

and so forth, but they don’t tell the whole story. Having someone experienced in the ways and culture of the

organization to talk to, who can guide you, is invaluable. In addition, organizations need to be able to transfer 

knowledge from experienced workers to new employees. Planning for succession helps ensure continuity and lessens 

the loss of critical skills and knowledge. The USGS Mentoring Program plays a valuable role in accomplishing these 

desired outcomes.”

——Mark Myers, Director, U.S. Geological Survey

“Participating in the USGS Mentoring 

Program has been one of the highlights 

of my first year of employment with 

the USGS. I had set out as my goal to 

learn more about how USGS and DOI 

in general worked. What I got from my 

mentoring experiences was much more 

than that.” —— USGS Mentoree

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey Printed on recycled paper
Western Region Central Region Eastern Region Headquarters

81 (22.63%) 116 (32.40%) 112 (31.28%) 49 (13.69%)

88 (25.21%) 118 (33.81%) 108 (30.95%) 35 (10.03%)

Total Number of

Mentor

Applications

by Region

Total Number of

Mentoree

Applications

by Region

Total Number of Mentor and Mentoree Applicants by Region

Enhances Professional development

Obtains career guidance

Increases network of contacts

Grows Leadership skills

Improves job effectiveness

Obtains a trusted counselor

Shares knowledge and talents

Helps to grow networks

Establishes new relationships

Helps shape the evolving USGS

Finds inspiration and fresh ideas

Supports developmental needs of employees

Mentoring Partnership Benefits as a Mentor Mentoring Partnership Benefits as a Mentoree

100 80 60 40 20 0 20 40 60 80 100

TOTAL RESPONDENTS, IN PERCENT 

Benefits of Mentoring Partnerships between the Mentor and the Mentoree

The intent of the USGS Mentoring Program is to make 

mentoring easily accessible and accepted as a cost-effective 

tool for growth and development of all of its employees. 

Our purpose is to build on the natural mentoring foundation 

already in place and create an intentional and deliberate 

mentoring culture in the USGS. To create this culture, the USGS must bring mentoring to 

the forefront of every employee’s mind as a conscious choice for training and development. 

By making mentoring available to every USGS employee, the supervisor is given a valuable 

tool to effectively and efficiently equip newer employees with necessary skills and a greater 

sense of belonging to the organization. This ensures the USGS maintains its knowledge bank, 

which helps to maintain its status as a premier science agency. It also accelerates productivity 

and increases engagement.

Benefits of the USGS Mentoring Program

The USGS Mentoring Program allows leaders to become great leaders through experience, connections, and training. It also allows potential leaders to enhance their leadership 

skills by developing them early, giving them a quality example to follow and offering them 

the opportunity to lead in a safe and constructive environment. In the USGS Mentoring Program classes are specifically designed to teach and hone leadership skills for all participants. 

The mentoring partnerships are structured to build trust and allow participants the opportunity to learn and practice new skills. The USGS Mentoring Program allows participants 

to grow and fosters informed risk-taking so that participants (mentor and mentoree) can 

reach, and even exceed, their potential. Mentoring not only builds skills but confidence and 

leadership, as well. Participants leave this program prepared for the opportunity to lead well, 

manage wisely, and keep the USGS on the forefront of excellent science. 

The Mentoring Program is a valuable tool that can be used by employees to learn about 

the organization, their jobs, and themselves. It also encourages employees to move through 

and adapt to change. Partnerships are created by placing the more experienced with the 

less experienced, thereby giving the less experienced an example to follow. It also provides 

a sounding board to aid in dealing with challenges and provides another knowledgeable 

person to give them a broader perspective of the USGS. The more experienced person 

meets regularly with a mentoree and helps renew their focus, their energy, and their sense of 

purpose, offering a fresh pair of eyes through which to view the changes in the USGS. 

Participation in the Mentoring Program

provides many benefits, including:

•	 Supports succession-planning goals with

knowledge transfer

•	 Promotes overall employee engagement,

productivity, and skill development

•	 Makes critical information and perspectives 

available

•	 Offers participants a trusted source of knowledge 

and guidance

•	 Provides fresh ideas and renewed energy

•	 Expands networks and relationships

The USGS Mentoring Program

The USGS Mentoring Program is primarily composed of two components: One-Year Guided and SelfDirected. These two components offer flexibility and participation to the degree that time and interest allow.

The One-Year Guided Formal Mentoring Program

The One-Year Guided Formal Mentoring Program is a structured approach to mentoring intended to guide 

the pairs through their one-year partnerships. The One-Year Guided Program offers employees two opportunities, termed “rollouts,” per fiscal year to participate, one in the fall and one in the spring. The program is open to 

all USGS employees in all regions and at headquarters. Participants in the One-Year Guided Formal Mentoring 

Program participate in a two-day shadowing event, formal mentoring training, and have opportunities to attend 

monthly mentoring exchanges. Mentoring exchanges are one-hour cyber seminars on topics pertinent to mentoring or to the USGS in general. Employees with five years or less of USGS service are invited to apply for a 

mentor, and all other USGS employees are invited to apply to be a mentor. Wherever possible, partnerships will 

be paired within the same region/headquarters. Supervisory approval is required for all participants. Applications 

are accepted online at URL http://geology.usgs.gov/usgs/mentoring.htm.

The requirements of participants in the One-Year Guided Formal Mentoring Program are as follows:

•	 Supervisory approval for the mentoree and the mentor

•	 Attendance of a Cyber Partnership Training seminar in conjunction with a two-day Shadowing Event

•	 Involvement in mentoring activities for 2 to 4 hours a month

•	 Attendance at three cyber mentoring exchanges anytime during the one-year partnership

•	 Agreement to participate in the Mentoring Program for one year 

•	 Participation in three brief surveys throughout the one-year partnership

•	 Establishment of a Mentoring Agreement and an Action Plan

•	 Participation at the end of the year in a Mentoring Program Partnership celebration and wrap-up session

“The USGS places a high value 

on the act of mentoring; perhaps 

because mentoring is such a key 

component of the science culture. 

Mentoring is one of the most 

powerful workforce planning 

tools available to an organization. It enhances recruitment, 

retention, development of knowledge, skills and understanding, 

and commitment to the organization. Mentoring is perhaps the 

key tool to address succession 

challenges and helps ensure 

knowledge transfer in mission 

critical occupations. While we 

are currently focusing on mentoring through more formalized 

mechanisms, our long-term goal 

is to have mentoring embedded 

in the fabric of our behaviors 

throughout the USGS, as just a 

normal way we operate on a dayto-day basis.”——Pam Malam, 

Associate Director for Human 

Capital, USGS

(RIGHT) Mentor Alan Ward, with the Office of Organizational and Employee Development 

in Denver, is shown with Traci Hoff, a mentoree from the Idaho Water Science Center. 

Traci is a new USGS employee, who is interested in technical editing. She was flown to 

Denver as part of a technical exchange visit to meet with editors and designers. Technical 

competency, job-related tasks, tools of the trade, and other aspects of work are exchanged 

during the interviews. 

“So far, I’m the winner in this relationship. Seems that despite the chaos of the multiple 

reorganizations I’m having to work through, I have a critical mission to see through to 

completion and that’s providing a different focus to my work life, and it’s becoming a 

positive force in all I do these days. I think if the organization wants to revitalize a tired 

(or getting tired) employee, it should pair that person with a mentoree. What a difference 

it’ll make. And the things I’ve learned...” —— USGS Senior Level Mentor

“The Mentoring Program has been a wonderful experience for me. My Mentor has been a great listener and 

adviser to me.”—— USGS Mentoree

“There was no downside for me in the mentoring experience. Through this relationship I was able to fasttrack getting to know the USGS.”—— USGS Mentoree

“Mentoring is a mutual benefit in that I feel I have gained just as much as I have given. I truly feel that the 

mentor-mentoree relationships in which I have been involved have helped me to do my job better as a

supervisor and manager. This program has been a great asset in my own career and personal development.”

—— USGS Senior Level Scientist, Mentor

(LEFT) Mentor and mentoree are shown making 

a conventional stream measurement at Manatee 

Springs, Florida. Data logging is a crucial step 

in water-quality studies. Photograph by Stewart 

Tomlinson, U.S. Geological Survey.
Self-Directed Mentoring

The Self-Directed component of the USGS Mentoring Program is a less-structured approach to 

mentoring. The Self-Directed component is open to all USGS employees at any time who have the 

necessary supervisory approval. The partnership is managed and maintained solely by the participants. 

Participation begins by attending a three-hour cyber seminar in which participants can learn how to start 

a mentoring partnership. These cyber seminars provide training that supports mentorees in finding a 

mentor, focus on mentoring skills, and provide techniques for developing successful mentoring partnerships. A schedule for the dates and times of cyber seminars can be found online at http://training.usgs.

gov and clicking on “Mentoring Program” and then choosing “Upcoming Events.” Participants in the 

Self-Directed Program are asked to complete an online form, registering their contact information into 

the Mentoring database. They will also be asked to complete an Action Plan and be given access to 

USGS mentoring resources. 

The requirements of participants of 

the Self-Directed Mentoring Program 

are as follows:

•	 Register online to participate in the

Self-Directed Mentoring Program

•	 Attend a three-hour cyber seminar 

on developing a successful

mentoring partnership

•	 Complete an Action Plan

Mentor and mentoree prepare to fly 

over Mount St. Helens in the Cascade 

Range of Washington. The lead scientist and his mentoree were repeating an aerial survey from 2001 to help 

them determine how the hydrological 

structure of the volcano had changed 

in recent years. They spent 2 weeks 

gathering data on Mount St. Helens. 

Photograph submitted by Alicia

Hotovec, U.S. Geological Survey.

“Mentoring is one of the ultimate acts 

of servant leadership. Over the years, I 

have been blessed with some wonderful 

mentors. I am thankful for these powerful 

role models in my life. They gifted me 

with support, encouragement, insights, 

wisdom, high standards and expectations, 

and honest feedback. I hope to pass the 

gifts I’ve been given on to others and 

I know many folks in the USGS do the 

same. The USGS Mentoring Program 

provides a mechanism to facilitate 

this gift-giving and it builds upon the 

“organic” mentoring and coaching that is 

already occurring within the organization. 

The powerful learning that mentoring 

facilitates will continue to help the USGS 

achieve its noble mission—now and in 

the future.”—Dianne Jeffries, Chief of the 

Office of Organizational and Employee 

Development
Number of Applicants by Organization Percentage of Applicants by Organization

0

90807060504030

2010

100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180

NUMBER OF APPLICANTS PERCENTAGE OF APPLICANTS

Administrative Policy and Services

Biological Resources Discipline

Director’s Office

Geology Discipline

Geography

Geospatial Information Office

Operations

Water Resources Discipline

101112131415161718

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Mentor Mentoree

19

15

61

49

32

18

45

60

42

25

2

1

5

9

152

172

7.92

6.25

3.3

2.65

18.29

10.29

2.8

3.74

11.02

6.56

.31

.16

1.89

3.4

3.76

4.25

Science Center Mentoring

Upon request, the Mentoring Program also offers a Science Center 

Approach to mentoring that trains employees within a Center how to 

effectively and intentionally establish successful mentoring partnerships. 

The requirements of participants of the Science Center Mentoring 

Program include the following:

•	 Science Center employees attend a one-day workshop on developing 

a successful mentoring partnership

•	 Science Center Senior Staff work with Mentoring staff to determine 

goals and objectives for the Science Center Mentoring Program

•	 Science Center commitment to fostering a mentoring culture

Mentor ties a 2-gram radio transmitter to a sora rail during field studies in the wild rice marshes of the Patuxent 

River, in Maryland, as mentoree assists. Photograph by Michael Haramis, U.S. Geological Survey.

Future Mentoring Programs

Additional mentoring opportunities under development include a 

program focused on mentoring for new supervisors, a program for 

employees with greater than five years of service who are in a career 

transition, and a program that pairs people across agencies.

“In short, it was an incredibly educational, eye-opening and inspiring

experience.”—— USGS Mentoree

“The program provides an 

opportunity for partners to 

learn from each other and 

enrich each other’s lives and 

careers with the intent of 

increased job performance.” 

—— USGS Mentor
Mentor Applicants

Mentoree

Applicants

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

140

150

2002 2003 2004

FISCAL YEAR

Total Number of Applicants by Fiscal Year, 2002–2007

NUMBER OF APPLICANTS

2005 2006 2007

Get a Mentor

USGS employees who are permanent, SCEP, TERM, or 

STEP appointments with five years or less of USGS service 

are eligible to apply for a mentor under the One-Year Guided 

component of the Mentoring Program. Supervisory approval is 

required to apply. 

Selected applicants will 

be paired with a qualified 

USGS mentor. Partners must 

then participate in a mandatory mentor-shadowing event 

in which mentorees travel to 

the duty station of the mentor. 

Funding for the mentoree’s 

travel is paid for by the USGS, Office of Organizational and 

Employee Development. Mentoree applications for the OneYear Guided partnerships are accepted on-line at http://geology.

usgs.gov/usgs/mentoring.htm. 

Be a Mentor

Employees with greater than five years of USGS service who 

are willing to mentor other employees are invited to access the 

USGS Mentoring website and apply to be a mentor.

Both components of the 

USGS Mentoring

Program, the One-Year 

Guided component for newer 

USGS employees and the 

Self-Directed, which is open 

to all USGS employees, are 

premised on a personal 

decision to voluntarily mentor. It is an extraordinary gift to 

guide, coach, and to act as a sounding board and confidante for 

a mentoree. Mentoring also provides the vehicle for sharing 

professional and technical experience, as well as insights mentors have gained throughout their career. Mentoring can also 

expand participant’s networks across the Bureau, build enduring 

relationships, and allow mentors to leave a legacy. Consider the 

mentors who have influenced you. Based on the many successes USGS mentoring partners have already reported, take a 

calculated risk and apply to be a mentor for either the One-Year 

Guided component or the Self-Directed component, or both. 

Mentor applications for the One-Year Guided and Self-Directed 

partnerships are accepted on-line at http://geology.usgs.gov/usgs/

mentoring.htm. Supervisory approval is required to apply.

 

Develop a powerful partnership—

Join the USGS Mentoring Program today!

Contacts

If you have any questions regarding the USGS

Mentoring Program, or how mentoring can work for 

you, please contact:

Kim Miller (304) 347-5130 ext. 227

or

Stacey Clarke (303) 445-4674

You can also visit the USGS Mentoring Program website at http://training.usgs.gov and click on

Mentoring Program for more information.

Also check out the online course “Introduction to 

Mentoring” at URL http://oedbreeze.cr.usgs.gov/

mentoringintro/ to discover what the program is 

about and how it can help you. 

“The opportunity I had to meet my 

mentor was priceless.”——

 USGS Mentoree

“It makes you feel better about being 

a part of the USGS.”——

 USGS Mentor