LLA honors inaugural Peer Mentoring Program participants at ceremony

With great excitement, Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera honored the participants of LLA’s inaugural Peer Mentoring Program at a ceremony held Tuesday, June 24.

Purpera and Program Manager Regina Leingang presented certificates to 19 mentors and 17 protégés who completed the year-long program, the first of its kind at LLA. Creation of the Peer Mentoring Program is one part of LLA’s overall Strategic Plan for the future.

Purpera noted Tuesday that he was more excited about the program now than when the idea was first drawn up a few years ago. The program’s goal is to align new employees (protégés) with experienced ones (mentors) in order to enhance the protégés’ professional growth. Mentors were chosen based on their answers to a survey sent out last summer. To qualify as a mentor, employees must either have three years of experience at LLA or have achieved a senior-level ranking and either possess or be actively pursuing a primary certification for their service area.

Over the course of the program, participants met and discussed several topics with regards to their professional development, including Finding Your Strengths, Professionalism, and Time Management, among others. One of the program’s goals is to develop LLA’s future leaders.

Also on hand were members of LLA’s executive team and others who influenced the program.

The next Peer Mentoring Program is set to kick off this August.