Women’s Mentorship Program
Kick-off is on February 13, 2025!
Why Mentorship?
Studies have shown, that regardless of demographic and whether you’re a mentor or a mentee, mentorship programs accelerate your career.
The VBA has created a program to assist our member banks with preparing the talented up-and-coming employees within your banks for future senior leadership positions. Kicking off in February with its fifth cohort, the Women’s Mentorship Program offers bankers the opportunity to set career goals, network with bankers across the state and establish a relationship with a colleague who will be their champion!
2025 Theme – Living Your Personal Brand with Confidence!
Over the course of ten months, participants will walk through a series of exercises to increase self-awareness, understand what they bring to the table and how to differentiate their value. At the end of the program, each attendee will have created a personal brand that they can carry with them throughout their careers.
2025 Virtual & In-Person Trainings & 2025 Book Selection
In-Person Events
Women’s Mentorship Program Kick-off*
February 13, 2025
1:30-5:00 p.m.
Virginia Society of CPA’s | 4309 Cox Road | Glen Allen, VA 23060
*This event will be offered in a hybrid format to allow those who cannot travel in person to participate virtually.
Mid-Year Meet-ups
Dates: Various TBD (Summer 2025)
Locations: Various based on regions.
Join members of the Executive Women in Banking Peer Group for lunch and networking with other participants of the program.
Women’s Mentorship Program Closing
December 3, 2025
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Omni Richmond Hotel | 100 South 12th Street | Richmond, VA 23219
Join other participants to close out the program and then attend the 2025 Women in Banking Conference (registration is included in the Mentorship registration fee!).
virtual trainings
All Welcome!
- March: Understanding & Getting Started on Your Personal Brand Journey
- May: Exploring Your Core Values
Mentor Check-Ins/Training (Mentors Only):
- Late February/Early March: Mentor Training – Helping Your Mentee Get the Most Out of the Program
- June: Working with Mentees to Develop/Capitalize on Their Strengths
Mentee Check-ins/Training (Geared for the mentees/Mentors welcome)
- June: Influencing With Your Strengths
- September: Moving Ahead with Successful Conversations
2025 Book Selection
At the kick-off session, each participant (mentor and mentee) will receive a copy of Marcus Buckingham’s book StandOut 2.0: Assess Your Strengths, Find Your Edge, Win at Work.
Included in the book is a code to complete Gallup’s StrengthsFinder assessment and exercises will follow to help incorporate participant’s respective strengths into the development of their personal brand.
Meet the 2025 Guide
We are excited to welcome Donna Highfill as the 2025 program’s guide. Donna will be facilitating sessions at the kick-off and closing of the program as well as facilitating the two check-ins with the mentors and mentees.
About Donna:
Donna Highfill brings over 30 years of
experience as an organizational development specialist and change
consultant with a focus on improving performance. She has also
held executive roles in organizations including WR Berkley,
Chesapeake Bank and SunTrust (now Truist).
Working with leadership, Donna implements key change strategies with clients that range from Community Banks and manufacturing companies to Fortune 500 organizations including Regions Bank, Citizens and others. Most recently, Donna has worked with several tech consulting firms specializing around successful implementation of new systems.
She is a personal change coach, working with leaders across the country. She is also a published author of four books, with over 50+ articles published in HuffPost, Across the Board, and others. She has also been a guest blogger on multiple websites and has been an active participant on HuffPost Live. Donna speaks to groups across the country on topics such as change management, leadership and confidence.
Donna graduated from Wake Forest University and completed master’s level courses at Hollins University. Certifications include SHRM-SCP, ATD CPLP, Prosci, Predictive Index and MBTI.
What is the Cost for this Program and What is Included?
Registration Fee:
- VBA/MBA Member Registration Fee: $950 per person ($1,900 for a mentor/mentee pair)
- Non-member Registration Fee: $1,450 per person ($2,900 for a mentor/mentee pair)
What’s Included:
- Participation in the Mentorship program, including in-person, virtual training events and a participant portal where all resources from the program will be stored.
- Registration to the 2025 VBA Women in Banking Conference in December
- Reduced registration rate for the 2025 MBA Women & Allies Conference in May
How Do I Register?
- Determine the mentor/mentee pairing within your bank.
Need helpful hints on how to do this? Contact Kristen Reid to
discuss.
- Register both the mentor and mentee here.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Interested in sponsoring the 2025 Women’s Programming? Contact Amy Binns.
Questions?
Contact Kristen Reid for questions about the 2025 program or if you need help with registering.