At She Shares we believe strongly in nurturing the next generation of women leaders. That’s why She Shares is also a mentoring and networking opportunity for young women. She Shares highly values our mentorship program as a way to cultivate successful and meaningful professional experiences for the next generation.
This year long mentorship program pairs young women with professional Sacramento women at the top of their careers. In non COVID times, the pairs meet at each She Shares event during the year and arrange for additional in person networking opportunities like lunches, attending conferences together, or asking for help with reviewing your resume. In 2020, we pivoted to everything virtual which has provided more opportunities for professional development workshops for our mentees and mentors. We hosted 11 virtual workshops on topics like: Zoom etiquette, taking the next step in your career, how to negotiate your salary at a new job, and networking 101. It is not required to attend all of these events, but we ask that you do your best to attend as many as you can and are relevant to you!
Mentees and mentors can arrange their meet ups as they are comfortable with. Most will do Zoom or telephone meetings to get to know each other and go from there.
Read testimonials from previous mentees and mentors here!
The applications period for the 2021 season is closed.
Please email questions to Tamara Torlakson at tt@tamaratorlakson.com
Mentorship Program FAQs
What are the qualifications for a mentor?
Mentors are women that are further along in their career, approximately 7+ years of experience, although it does not have to be at the same job that whole time. They should be able to offer
mentorship and advice to women just starting out in their career and be able to meet virtually or in person at least five times during the year with their pair.
What are the qualifications for a mentee?
Mentees are women that are newer in their career, usually just starting out, approximately in the first 5 or so years of their career. Although if there has been a major career change or a delay in
starting the work force due to life circumstances, we still welcome you to apply and explain that! We ask that our mentees be graduated from college – but they can be enrolled in law school, business
school or similar programs.
Is there an age requirement?
There is no age requirement, but usually our mentees end up being in their 20’s and our mentors are in their 30’s on up to their 60’s. If you had a late start to your career and worry you are “too
old” for the program, reach out anyways and we can see if you are a good fit!
Is there a fee to participate?
No, the program is completely free to participants! In fact, when we get back to having our in person events, all mentors and mentees will be able to attend complimentary as part of our program.
Tickets to our event usually sell for $65 per person.
How does the matching process work?
We will typically match you with someone in a similar career field – or in the career field you are interested in that you described on your resume. For example, we once paired a law school student
with a local Judge! If there is a particular type of career that you would like to be paired with, please let us know on the application. For example, if you are currently working for a legislator,
but you would really like to become a lobbyist, we can try to pair you with a lobbyist.
Do you have to be located in Sacramento in order to participate?
For 2021, since we expect most things to be virtual, you do not have to be in Sacramento to participate. The only disadvantage to not being in Sacramento is that if we do return to in person events,
it would be harder to attend, but you would still be welcome! In 2020, we hosted our main conversation events virtually via YouTube and we had about 10 practical workshops on Zoom throughout the year
as well.
How often do you have to engage with your mentor/mentee pair?
We encourage each pair to work out what works best for them, but we do suggest that you meet (whether that is virtually or in person) at least five times throughout the year. This can be Zoom
meetings, socially distant coffee/walks, meeting about your resume, making a connection for a job interview, practicing interview skills with each other, starting a book club and more! You will
really get out of it what you put into it!
How long is the program?
You will officially be in the program for the entire calendar year. But after the program, many of our pairs stay in touch and continue their relationship for years! You will also be on our mailing
list moving forward so you can join our events in the future. We always offer our alumna mentees a discount for our in person events too!
Past Mentorship Workshops from 2020
Alicia Priego, Vice President, Strategies 360; paired with Genesis Alvarez, Development Associate, Global Green
Amanda Blackwood, President & CEO, Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce; paired with Diana Britton, Shield Emerging Leader, Enterprise Architecture, Blue Shield of California
Angela Blanchard, Partner, Political Solutions; paired with Christen Helfrich, Digital Coordinator, Unearth Campaigns
Arielle Julie, Principal Recruiter, WarnerMedia & HBOMax; paired with Auriona Adefris, Business Development Representative, Rocket Lawyer
Ashley Conrad-Saydah, Founder and Principal, Sowing Change Strategies; paired with Alexis Dascoulias Foley, Legislative Intern, Child Support Directors Association of California
Athena Chapman, President, Chapman Consulting; paired with Sarah Clair, Junior Policy Consultant, Behavioral Health Policy, Aurrera Health Group
Audrey Lee, Director, Board of Directors, ArcLight Clean Transition Corp.; paired with Renee Hu, Scientific Aide, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board
Caitlin McShane, Principal, EMC Communications; paired with Alex Ackert-Smith, Member Engagement Associate, CapRadio
Chantel Johnson-Crockrom, Principal, External Affairs, Blue Shield of California; paired with Symphoni Barbee, Fellow, California State Senate
Cindy Simmons, Associate Director, UC Center Sacramento; paired with Buri Vang, Investment Officer I, CalPERS
Claire Conlon, Chief of Staff, Assembywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris; paired with Alexandra Lamirande, Account Manager, Perry Communications Group, Inc.
Connie Delgado, CEO, Delgado Government Affairs; paired with Jennifer Armenta, Research Assistant, Political Science Department, UC Merced
Connie Emerson, Principal, Sanders Emerson Consulting; paired with Brit Kelleher, Business Development Specialist, SAFE Credit Union
Corinne Chee, Owner and Media Specialist, CJC Communications; paired with Brittani Fine, Corporate Support Administrative Assistant, CapRadio
Cynthia Moreno, Assistant Deputy Director of Communications, Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations, California Department of Motor Vehicles; paired with Bianey Mercado, Intern, Lucas Public Affairs
Danielle Kando-Kaiser, Founding Partner, Corbin and Kaiser; paired with Nune Garipian, Fellow, California State Senate
Debbie Howard, Consultant, KP; paired with Farnaz Bi, Cardiovascular Manager, Pediatric Heart Center, UC Davis Health
Dr. Flojaune Cofer, Senior Director of Policy, Public Health Advocates; paired with Make'da Traynum, Consumer Advocate/ Health Insurance Agent, Healthsherpa
Erin Baum, Chief of Staff, Assemblymember David Chiu; paired with Alessandra Magnasco, Fellow, California State Senate
Erynne Zhang, PR Director, KP Public Affairs; paired with Sarah Vu, External Affairs Specialist, Covered California
Fiona Hutton, President, Fiona Hutton & Associates; paired with Sophie Emerson, Intern, Congresswoman Doris Matsui
Gina da Silva, Senior Policy Advisor for Immigration, Office of Governor Gavin Newsom; paired with Adriana Gómez, Fellow, California State Senate
Heather Bates, COO, VP of Stakeholder Engagement, Transform Health, LLC; paired with Jeannette Emerton Carpenter, Policy Analyst, California Department of Health Care Services
Holly Martinez, Grants & Administrative Operations Deputy, California Commission on the Status of Women; paired with Rachel Alderette, Program Associate, Capitol Impact
Janette Cruz, Sr. Enterprise Performance Planning Coordinator, SMUD; paired with Bonnie Sao, Sr. Performance & Quality Analyst, KP
Jessica Ng, Managing Director, Mercury Public Affairs; paired with Cathy Doan, Business Engagement Consultant, Workforce Development Section, California Department of Rehabilitation
Julia Ballantyne, Owner, Ballantyne Media Consulting, LLC; paired with Maya Umemoto Gorman, Freelance photographer
Kara Ueda, Judge, Sacramento Superior Court; paired with Itir Yakar, Board Counsel, California Agricultural Labor Relations Board
Karen Zamarripa, President, Karen Zamarripa Consulting; paired with Marisa Johnson, Policy Fellow, The Campaign for College Opportunity
Karina Talamantes, Chief of Staff, Mayor Pro Tem Angelique Ashby, City of Sacramento; paired with Karina Paredes, Student Engagement & Policy Associate, Public Advocates Inc.
Karli Eisenberg, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, California Department of Justice, Attorney General’s Office; paired with Andrea Rivera, Legislative Assistant, California Immigrant Policy Center
Katherine Brandenburg, Principal, Brandenburg Group; paired with Nayiri Baghdassarian, Outreach Consultant/Project Coordinator, California State Assembly, Democratic Office of Communications and Outreach
Katie Hansen, Senior Legislative Director, California Restaurant Association; paired with Madeline Cline, Client Accounts Director & Advocate, Golden Bridge Strategies
Kelly Boyd, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, Yosemite Clean Energy; paired with Marissa Arechavaleta, Senior Resource Management Analyst, California Independent System Operator
Kerry Yoshida, Policy Consultant, Senate Republican Caucus; paired with Alyssa Lee, Fellow, California State Senate
Kristina Bas Hamilton, Principal, KBH Advocacy; paired with Bella Romero, Creative Content Producer, California State Assembly, Democratic Office of Communications and Outreach
Krystal Moreno, Legislative Director, Senator Susan Rubio; paired with Rubie Gonzalez-Parra, Fellow, California State Senate
Kyla Aquino Irving, Marketing & Communications Manager, United Way California Capitol Region; paired with Constantina Stekas, Program Assistant, The Institute for Family Health
Lande Ajose, Ph.D., Senior Policy Advisor for Higher Education, Office of Governor Gavin Newsom; paired with Eliza Brooks, Fellow, California State Assembly
Lauren Babb, Assistant Director, Office of Legislation and Regulations, California Department of Developmental Services; paired with De’Anna Miller, Fellow, California State Senate
Lauren Greenwood, UC Berkeley MBA Class of 2020; paired with Grecia Diaz, Fellow, CalRecycle
Libby Hall, Vice President of Client Services, Unearth Campaigns; paired with Sierra Summers, CEO, Main Shark
Liliana Bernal, Managing Partner, Balance Staffing; paired with Cynthia Garcia, Project Manager I, Kaiser LAMC
Linda White, Government Affairs Manager, BMW North America; paired with Kapri Walker, Fellow, California State Senate
Margaret Gladstein, Partner, Capitol Advocacy; paired with Nina Kapoor Oliveira, Director of State Government Affairs, Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas
Maricela Rodriguez, Director of Civic Engagement and Strategic Partnerships, Office of Governor Gavin Newsom; paired with Sara Bilotta, Intern, Lucas Public Affairs
Marissa Currie, Manager, Public Affairs, Sutter Health; paired with Grace Becker, Executive Assistant, Lucas Public Affairs
Marva Brown, Human Services Policy Consultant, Senate Pro Tem Atkins; paired with Corey Rodda, Child Care Policy Analyst, California Department of Social Services
Mary Meuel, Senior Legislative Advocate, California State University; paired with Lesley Brizuela, Fellow, California State Senate
Maya Wallace, Performance Manager & Internal Auditor, California Department of Justice; paired with Shannon Flores, Legislative Aide, Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Reyes
Megan Sapigao, Coordinator, Sac API Regional Network; paired with Angelica Moua, Barist, Philz Coffee
Melanie Cuevas, Vice President of Government Affairs, California Bankers Association; paired with Julie Cravotto, Legislative Aide, California State Assembly
Melanie Ramil, Executive Director, EmergeCA; paired with Jackie Yoon, UC Davis Class of 2019
Michelle Reyes, Legislative Director, Senator John Laird; paired with Armida Reyes, District Liaison for City of Los Angeles Councilmember Nithya Raman
Michelle Teran, Legislative Director, Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva; paired with Cindy Gerges, Law Fellow, Education Equity Team, Public Advocates
Natalie Johnston Butcher, Associate Director of Career Services, UC Davis School of Law; paired with Dulce Huerta, UC Merced Class of 2021
Natalie Cardenas, Regional Director of Government Relations & Public Affairs, UCB, Inc. (pharmaceutical company); paired with Madison Rasmussen, Junior Account Executive, Aurrera Health Group
Osha Meserve, Shareholder, Soluri Meserve, A Law Corporation; paired with Christina Suarez, J.D. Candidate - Class of '22, UC Davis School of Law
Rebecca Nicholas, Vice President, Fiona Hutton & Associates; paired with Sarah Goodman, Fellow, California State Assembly
Sabrina Rossi, Licensed Clinical Social Worker; paired with Chelsie Moody, Case Supervisor, Court Appointed Special Advocates of Ventura County
Sandra Perez, Former Director, UC Program on Access to Care & Patient Advocate, State of California; paired with Brianna Tatum, Patient Access Specialist, Oregon Health and Science University
Su Jin Gatlin Jez, Ph.D., Executive Director, California Competes, paired with Claire Chevallier, Policy and Program Analyst for Graduate, Undergraduate and Equity Affairs, University of California Office of the President
Susan Wheeler, Workforce Outreach Manager, SMUD; paired with Angelina Olweny, Promise Zone Sustainability Coordinator, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA)
Tina Thomas, Founder, Thomas Law Group; paired with Stephanie Quero, Legal Receptionist, Gade and Parekh Attorneys at Law