2007 RECIPIENT OF THE THOMAS F. DONLON MEMORIAL AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED MENTORING

The Thomas F. Donlon Memorial Award for Distinguished Mentoring was created to recognize Tom Donlon's long and valued contributions to NERA, particularly as a mentor to so many colleagues. Presented for the first time in 2000, the award is given to someone identified for distinguished mentoring. Beginning with Odysseus, who asked his friend, MentOr to educate his son, Telemachus (Janas, 1996); the practice of mentoring in education has been going for centuries. Most of us can name a person who helped us along and was more than just a friend or a colleague. That person guided you, helped you find the right path and pointed you in the right direction and, perhaps, brought you to NERA your first time-after suggesting that you might be ready for your first conference presentation.

The Keymaker: Professor Dianne Zager

The 2007 Recipient of the Thomas F. Donlon Memorial Award for Distinguished Mentoring, Professor Dianne Zager, is a keymaker for her students and young colleagues. In the nomination letter from one of Dianne's students, Samantha Feinman, numerous statements about Dianne's teaching, mentoring, emotional support and encouragement are presented as testimony from a broad variety of current and former students, as well as colleagues. There are multiple statements about the positive impact that Dianne Zager has had on these young professionals' development, aspirations and experiences throughout the nomination letter. But the part of the nomination that best characterizes Dianne Zager as an outstanding mentor is the poem Samanatha included in her letter (see poem below).

Dianne Zager is a keymaker and a builder of keymakers through her outstanding mentoring. NERA is proud to have Dianne Zager as a NERA member and educational leader. She is an exceptional recipient of the 2007 Thomas F. Donlon Memorial Award for Distinguished Mentoring, because she is a model for us all.