The role of mentors for women in animal science: perspectives from government.

The purpose of a mentor is to empower individuals to succeed in a professional career in animal science. Effective mentorship programs in animal agriculture will guarantee that more qualified women are retained in our profession, and thereby contribute to workforce diversity. Good mentors are the single most significant contributor to building a successful career. Mentorship programs can be informal or formal. Effective informal mentoring depends on selection of a mentor with a positive attitude that can be a trusted advisor and good listener. The Beltsville Area of USDA, ARS, offers a Mentor Program in which employees voluntarily participate as mentors or protégés. The participants are paired according to individual objectives with the overall goal to enhance their career development. The program has approximately 35% of mentors and 88% of protégés that are women. A key to its success has been improving the supervisor's understanding of mentoring as it relates to employee productivity. There are many other programs within the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Program that affect women in science as government employees, including a special emphasis program called the Federal Women's Program, as well as annual evaluation for performance in Civil Rights, supervisory training, and flexible work schedules. Improving our mentorship of women in animal science will benefit animal agriculture. Behind successful women in animal science there has been encouragement from a network of mentors.