Gerald C. Brown Mentoring Award

SAME created the Academy of Fellows Mentoring Award in 2004 to recognize SAME Fellows for outstanding mentoring efforts. The first award was presented in March 2005.  In 2009, the SAME Board of Direction renamed the award the Gerald C. Brown Mentoring Award in honor of the founder of the Academy of Fellows. Brig. Gen. Gerald C. “Jed” Brown, USA (Ret.), chaired the working group that formalized organizing the Fellows into an Academy in 1994 and served as the first chair of the Academy. Nearly all the workings of the Academy in place today were formulated under the leadership of Gen. Brown.

The Gerald C. Brown Mentoring Award is inspired from the original pledge the Fellows took prior to 2019 when invested, which is: I charge you to be a mentor. A Fellow sets and abides by the highest ethical standards. A Fellow espouses continual professional development. A Fellow shares knowledge of the professional with members and non-members.”

Eligibility: Candidate must be an active SAME member and Fellow.

Criteria: The nomination will be evaluated based in the following criteria with examples:

• Advocate - Arrange for the mentee to participate in high-visibility activities within your organization and in SAME-sponsored activities.  Encourage members in your organization to take a leadership role in SAME at the Post, Regional or National level. Show interest in their participation and become a resource for information.
• Advisor - Communicate the formal and informal realities of progression in your organization.  Recommend beneficial training opportunities (esp. SAME-sponsored opportunities).  Recommend appropriate strategies for career direction, and act as a sounding board for ideas and career concerns.  Review mentee’s professional development plan at least once a year. Identify resources to help the mentee solve specific problems, then follow up to ensure that the referred resources were useful or engage in dialog to answer questions. 
• Coach - Clarify performance goals and developmental needs.  Teach managerial, communications and technical skills (on-the-job training).  Recommend specific behaviors for professional and individual development success.
• Sponsor - Expand the mentee’s network of professional contacts, starting with introductions to colleagues at SAME events that you attend together.  Bring together different mentees who might mutually benefit by networking and collaborating with each other.  Connect mentees with appropriate educational or employment opportunities.  Help members in your organization pursue professional licensing or certification by providing time off to study/take the test, paying for prep courses and/or the test.  Engage mentees in Post committee initiatives or other activities to provide a forum for peer group interaction.

Process: Nominations for this Fellows' award must be made by an SAME member and endorsed by a Post President or member of the National Board of Direction, using the SAME on-line nomination form. The Post President or member of the National Board of Direction endorsing the nomination will verify that the Fellow meets the eligibility criteria for the award, and that the nomination package provides information to support each of the nomination criteria and all required nominee information.

The Vice Chair, Awards & Recognition, will form a selection panel to review submissions. The final recommendation will be provided to the AOF Chair for presentation at the Investiture.

Gerald C. Brown Mentoring Award Registration Form