Blog & News

Mentee Spotlight: Dr. Jackie Bauer, Mentee to Mentor

by W2WM Senior Program Assistant Andrea Baker

The very first time that all our new mentees and their mentors meet, one of the main points that we always make is this:

The effort that you put into your mentoring relationship, the program, and yourself is what you will take away from your time in the program. Your outcomes are directly influenced by your effort. Be all in (or at least as in as you can be)!

As a mentee of the Class #11 CORE Program and now as a mentor, Dr. Jackie Bauer, seeing both sides of the puzzle, agrees. Jackie tell mentees “Be present and make the time work with your mentor. Mentorship only works if both parties are present and involved. It does not matter if you don’t have a specific goal, you can figure out small steps or a bigger picture with your mentor. The most important part is being an active, open, and willing participant.”

Jackie’s Mentee Days

About four years ago while participating in the CORE Program, Jackie a paramedic and mom of two toddlers with limited connections in Frederick who worked far away, finished her master’s degree. Jackie said, “At first, I really didn’t know what I was looking for. Professionally, I had a very clear vision. After many meetings and accomplishing some minor personal goals, my mentor and I discovered that I was looking for adult conversation and connections in Frederick.”

Taking action on those personal goals really helped Jackie propel forward on her clear career goals. And she says that her mentor has become one of her best friends. “Robin is an unbiased person that I can turn to when I need someone to listen and maybe offer a little bit of advice. We all have our strengths, and we can lift each other up, create a supportive environment, and celebrate each other’s successes as one amazing community. The support of my mentor and the larger Woman to Woman Mentoring network helped make my dreams and successes my new reality.”

What Jackie is Up To Now

Since then, she has earned her Doctorate of Emergency Management and obtained her dream job! These days, Jackie living her career dreams as a support analyst in contingency programming for the federal government. Contingency programming is a function of both emergency management and continuity of government. The team she works on ensures that a specific arm of the government can continue to function during and after the occurrence of an adverse event or disaster.

When I was a mentee, Jackie and I were in the same CORE Program class, and it has been remarkable to watch Jackie transform. There may have been a time as we looked across the sea of Clutch the Future Purse Auction attendees from the stage while singing “Sweet Caroline” with the crowd that Jackie and I wondered what the heck we were doing modeling in this fashion show at this event, but it is so clear now how well-worth the effort it is to invest in yourself and to lift others up along with you. Now as a mentor that is exactly what Jackie is doing, lifting others up along her way.


Would you like to become a mentee or  a mentor, too? Please join us!

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