Society of Municipal Arborists Mentoring Program

Have you hit a “road bump” since graduating from SMA's Municipal Forestry Institute (MFI) or generally in your career? Or maybe you’re feeling “all alone” and need someone who understands the challenges unique to building a municipal urban forestry program? The Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA) Mentoring Program is here to help you!

• The Mentor Program is free, but you must be a SMA member to apply and be accepted. 
• This structured program works to create leadership growth opportunities specifically for municipal forestry professionals. This program provides mutual benefits to mentors and mentees, with individuals both contributing to, and gaining from, the relationship.
• SMA is eager to grow and expand diversity in the urban forestry profession. The Mentoring Program is open to all, but we invite mentors and mentees of diverse backgrounds to apply. You may wish to be paired with someone of a similar background or lived experience and can indicate that on the application. 

This program will serve to re-energize and motivate talented municipal and urban forest professionals in their careers, through helping mentees work towards attaining their future goals. 

Importantly, the Mentoring Program will help to enhance leadership development for the mentees through the transfer of knowledge of the municipal forestry industry from more experienced mentors to less experienced mentees. Through a spirit of two-way communication, participants will identify what they need out of the Mentoring Program. Through regular, scheduled visits the mentee and mentors will pose questions to one another, and from their discussions, the mentee will gain a broader understanding of the importance of workplace culture in growing a career in the municipal forestry profession. The mentors may also use the mentoring program as a mechanism to broaden their succession planning processes and enhance their leadership skills through guiding emerging under-represented talent.

The SMA Mentoring Program will:

• Pair SMA members with their peers and industry professionals who can complement each other’s strengths and work together on areas of needed improvement
• Support emerging urban forestry professionals on their leadership journeys
• Engage MFI alumni who share a love for MFI and a vision to create the next generation of urban forestry leaders
• Develop career competencies amongst those participating
• Connect municipal forestry professionals with greater opportunities for career advancement and overall grow the urban forestry profession

Note:  Participants are expected to commit in writing to the full one-year program and abide by an Agreement with SMA.