In July 2021, SSPI’s Women in Space Engagement (WISE) group initiated a Mentorship Program to enable women starting out, or at a crossroads in their careers, to take advantage of the experiences of pioneering women already established in the exciting but historically male-dominated satellite and space industry.

In our third year, more than 30 pairs of mentors and mentees around the globe are participating in the program with great success. The relationship helps mentees define tangible career goals and develop a plan to pursue them. Mentors provide support and insight based on years of experience in the industry and they can provide contacts and introductions to help mentees build their networks.

Mentors report that mentoring others helps with self-efficacy and through volunteering their time, they are rewarded in unexpected ways. Mentors sharpen their insights by working with those newer to the field and they also benefit from the expanded network that mentoring brings.

Year three kicked off in January 2024 but additional pairings are still possible on a limited basis. (See links in side panel)  After three successful years the improved program offers a rich learning and development experience for both groups. Mentors share their knowledge and experience and help nurture new talent, while mentees build their confidence, expand their networks and get objective support on ways to advance their careers.

Feedback from mentees has confirmed the success of the program:

• “The program has been great for helping me with professional development in a way that I don’t necessarily receive it from my company.”
• “As someone who is new to the space industry, I couldn’t imagine having better direction, education and leadership than I am receiving first hand through the mentoring process. Many thanks to SSPI-WISE for making this possible.”
• “My mentor has been great about connecting me with people in her network whose work aligns with my interests. She has also had good advice about how to take advantage of my time in grad school and suggestions on how to tailor some of my research/projects to my overall career goals.”
• “It’s very empowering to me just to simply have a relationship with another woman in the industry and know that I have a great resource for professional advice.”

If you would like to participate in this rewarding program, please complete an application form at the links below.

Mentor: https://forms.gle/MGZskWFVqMWX5Vte6

Mentee: https://forms.gle/hRJNEfiFCeGUrNkd6

For questions contact:
Wendy Newman
SSPI-WISE Mentorship Committee Chair
wendy@strategic-voice.com
sspiwise.mentoring@gmail.com

Andrea Maléter
Mentoring Committee Co-chair
admaleter@gmail.com

SSPI-WISE April 2022 Meeting: Presentation Skills
Featuring Hall of Fame Member Mary Frost
Panel Discussion w/ Penelope Longbottom & Joan Mancuso
Moderated by Andrea Maleter