Latest News

Rising Stars Kick Off Mentorship Program

Registration is now open for our annual Rising Stars Network’s Mentorship Program, which connects young professionals with established industry mentors who are willing to share their career insight.

The Rising Stars Network targets emerging professionals 35 years or younger who are part of an FMA member company. The group offers cross-industry networking opportunities, mentorship activities, educational programming, volunteer opportunities and more.


Andrew Gehman, CEO of Black Eagle Defense joined the Rising Stars last year specifically for the mentorship program and said it was one of the best things he’s done in the past year.

“The ability to sit down with some of the most experienced professionals and leaders in this industry and have conversations about goals and topics that can help better yourself is priceless,” Gehman said. “The amount of knowledge that I have gained participating in the program has helped me grow both professionally and personally.”

The Mentorship Program allows mentees to meet with up to three different mentors for one hour each. These mentee and mentor match-ups are established through an online system, which allows both mentors and mentees to create an online profile with their availability.

The Mentorship Program will run this year from March to July, with an official virtual kick-off event on March 31, 2021.

If you or a young professional in your company is interested in participating in the Mentorship Program, please contact Jenn Munt at jmunt@ftmeadealliance.com. There is limited availability, so act today!

Why Become a Mentee?

  • Learn new things about yourself. The self-reflection that occurs with a mentoring relationship can be a powerful growth experience and help you gain new insights into yourself.
  • Making more of your strengths and exploiting your hidden talents. A mentor is there to push you to do more with your strengths and help you find your hidden talents.
  • A source of referrals to other mentors. Once you build a relationship with a mentor, they can help you find other mentors to assist you in a way they might not be able to.
  • Expanding your personal network. You can never have too many contacts, especially with people that are experienced and willing to help you
  • .Contributing to the success of your community and company. A mentee who builds a strong position in his or her community ultimately contributes to the success of the company.