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ICLA Mentorship Program

ICLA Mentee Application Form & Mentor Application Form

Click Here to view a list of past Mentorship Program participants

Purpose – To provide a resource for ICLA members who desire to increase their understanding of the collegiate licensing industry, and become more involved with the association. The Mentorship Program seeks individuals who want to learn from experienced professionals to help advance their trademark and licensing career, enhance their ability to manage a licensing program for their institution/company, and create networking opportunities to share information and develop stronger relationships with collegiate licensing administrators throughout the industry.

Mission – To offer ICLA members an additional professional development opportunity through a formal program specific to the collegiate licensing industry that cannot be found anywhere else. Each mentee selected to participate in the program will be paired with up to two mentors (one institutional member and one affiliate member) who will be charged with sharing their experiences and helping the mentee develop relationships that will increase their understanding of the industry beyond sharing policies and procedures.

Specific Targeted Goals of This Initiative:
  • A formal professional development opportunity not available anywhere else in the industry.
  • Increase the value of membership in ICLA, provide more opportunities for participation, and enhance the overall membership experience.
  • Connect less experienced professionals with more seasoned institution and affiliate members who will share their experiences and promote a career in collegiate licensing.
  • Establish a schedule of meetings and programming to provide framework for sharing information and encourage interaction between the Mentees and their Mentors.
  • Provide financial support to show the commitment from the Board and help offset some of the expenses for attending the educational meetings.
  • Identify potential members to serve on various committees, and develop a pool of candidates to be considered for future members of the Board of Directors.
  • Recognize mentors as leading experts in the collegiate licensing industry, and provide them an opportunity to stay engaged in the association and help develop future leaders.
  • Mentors will be selected from current or past members of the Board of Directors, as well as select affiliate members who are recognized as leaders in the industry.
  • Mentees and Mentors will be selected by ICLA Leadership.
Minimum Qualifications for MENTEE Candidates:
  • Must be a current dues paying member of ICLA and display a commitment to a career in the collegiate licensing industry.
  • Be in a position that involves collegiate licensing responsibilities for a minimum of 1 full year
  • Must attend both the Desert Cactus ICLA Winter Symposium and Annual Convention to participate in meetings that are part of the program.
  • Agree to actively participate in the Association by: contributing an article for the ICLA Corner or serving on an ICLA committee within two years of completing the program
  • Recommended for weekly licensing job responsibilities to exceed 50% of total job responsibilities
Minimum Qualifications for MENTOR Candidates:
  • Must be a current dues paying member of ICLA and display a commitment to a career in the collegiate licensing industry.
  • Must attend both the Desert Cactus ICLA Winter Symposium and annual Convention to participate in meetings that are part of the program.
MENTEE Benfits:
  • One experienced Institutional and one Affiliate member will be assigned as mentors (Candidates can request mentors from the program, but the final pairing will be assigned by ICLA Leadership).
  • Registration for the Desert Cactus ICLA Winter Symposium and Annual Convention.
  • A travel stipend valued up to $1,500 ($750 per educational conference) to offset the cost of attending both the Winter Symposium and Annual Convention (lodging room and tax only, and/or airfare to be reimbursed by the Association after the educational meetings).
MENTEE/MENTOR Selection Criteria:
  • If there are more applicants than spots available, then years of ICLA membership may be taken into consideration.
  • If possible, the applicant(s) will represent different geographic regions.
  • Up to ten (10) MENTEES may be selected each year, and applicants can only participate in the program once.
  • Only one member from an institution or affiliate will be permitted to participate as a MENTEE in the program per year.
For any additional information about the ICLA Mentorship Program, please contact Association Manager Nick Strah (nstrah@nacda.com).

*In an effort to remain as current/relevant as possible with our ever-evolving industry, all elements of the ICLA Mentorship Program are subject to ongoing review/update/change by the ICLA Board of Directors on an annual basis.
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