Award-winning Stories: Mentoring as a Career Development Tool

As a Senior Director in the Research department at Catalyst, Julie Nugent examines organizational diversity efforts, change models, and career experiences and perceptions of women and men professionals across levels and industries. As Chair of the Catalyst Award Evaluation Committee, Ms. Nugent investigates organization-specific diversity programs and workplace environments. In this role, she heads an interdepartmental team through a year-long process of evaluating corporate and professional strategies nominated for the Catalyst Award, which honors innovative approaches with proven results taken by organizations to address the recruitment, development, and advancement of all managerial women, including women of color. Ms. Nugent frequently speaks to corporate and public audiences on topics including women's leadership and advancement, mentoring, and diversity-and-inclusion strategies. She recently directed the 2005 Catalyst Member Benchmarking Report, which examined key diversity programs, policies, and metrics across member companies and firms. In addition, she leads Catalyst's Mentoring Issue Specialty Team, specifically examining cutting-edge mentoring programs, research trends, and organizational practices. Ms. Nugent received her B.A. in Psychology and English from Ohio University. She received her M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from New York University.

Jennifer W. Allyn is a Managing Director in the Office of Diversity for the US Firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. As an executive and thought leader promoting diversity initiatives, Jennifer is responsible for designing programs to retain, develop, and advance women and GLBT professionals. Ms. Allyn has been recognized as a subject matter expert on gender and work/life challenges. She is a frequent public speaker and has been quoted in over 30 publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CFO Magazine, and US News & World Report. Among her many accomplishments, Jennifer spearheaded the effort to enhance PwC's parental leave policy and launched Full Circle, a program designed to assist parents who want to "on-ramp" after taking an extended period of time off from work. PricewaterhouseCoopers has been recognized as a best-in-class employer by Catalyst, Working Mother Magazine, Diversity Inc, Out & Equal, and Fortune Magazine.Prior to joining PwC, Ms. Allyn was a senior consultant at Catalyst where she advised a diverse group of Fortune 500 clients, among them PricewaterhouseCoopers. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Women's Leadership Board at the Harvard Kennedy School and on the Advisory Board of the National Council for Research on Women. Ms. Allyn is a graduate of Brown University and received her Masters degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

As a Senior Director in the Research department at Catalyst, Julie Nugent examines organizational diversity efforts, change models, and career experiences and perceptions of women and men professionals across levels and industries. As Chair of the Catalyst Award Evaluation Committee, Ms. Nugent investigates organization-specific diversity programs and workplace environments. In this role, she heads an interdepartmental team through a year-long process of evaluating corporate and professional strategies nominated for the Catalyst Award, which honors innovative approaches with proven results taken by organizations to address the recruitment, development, and advancement of all managerial women, including women of color. Ms. Nugent frequently speaks to corporate and public audiences on topics including women's leadership and advancement, mentoring, and diversity-and-inclusion strategies. She recently directed the 2005 Catalyst Member Benchmarking Report, which examined key diversity programs, policies, and metrics across member companies and firms. In addition, she leads Catalyst's Mentoring Issue Specialty Team, specifically examining cutting-edge mentoring programs, research trends, and organizational practices. Ms. Nugent received her B.A. in Psychology and English from Ohio University. She received her M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from New York University.

In her role as Human Resources Advisor, Heather provides HR support and guidance to the Annuity Business Leaders. She is responsible for providing consultative advice on leadership development, organization change, talent management, and year-end management processes. Heather has been involved in ING's Mentoring Advantage since 2003 when she co-led the design and roll-out of the Program. Heather currently serves as the Program Manager of ING's Mentoring Advantage Program and also currently mentors young HR professionals and college students pursuing careers in Human Resources.Heather joined ING in June 2001 and has previously worked as an HR Generalist. Prior to joining ING, Heather served as the Manager of Staffing and College Relations for Vermeer Manufacturing and a Recruiter with Northwestern Mutual. She has previously served as Chairman of the Iowa Human Resources Recruitment Consortium where she led efforts to recruit alumni back to the rich career opportunities available in their home state of Iowa.Heather holds a BA in Business Management - Human Resources from Central College, Pella, Iowa. She is a proud wife and mother of two sons.

Jennifer W. Allyn is a Managing Director in the Office of Diversity for the US Firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. As an executive and thought leader promoting diversity initiatives, Jennifer is responsible for designing programs to retain, develop, and advance women and GLBT professionals. Ms. Allyn has been recognized as a subject matter expert on gender and work/life challenges. She is a frequent public speaker and has been quoted in over 30 publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CFO Magazine, and US News & World Report. Among her many accomplishments, Jennifer spearheaded the effort to enhance PwC's parental leave policy and launched Full Circle, a program designed to assist parents who want to "on-ramp" after taking an extended period of time off from work. PricewaterhouseCoopers has been recognized as a best-in-class employer by Catalyst, Working Mother Magazine, Diversity Inc, Out & Equal, and Fortune Magazine.Prior to joining PwC, Ms. Allyn was a senior consultant at Catalyst where she advised a diverse group of Fortune 500 clients, among them PricewaterhouseCoopers. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Women's Leadership Board at the Harvard Kennedy School and on the Advisory Board of the National Council for Research on Women. Ms. Allyn is a graduate of Brown University and received her Masters degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.