Mentoring tomorrow's business leaders

Under Kim Nelson’s guidance, business students at the University of North Carolina Wilmington have learned innovative strategies to conquer the complexities of the job market.

Since 2022, Nelson has been the co-director of the mentoring program at the Cameron Executive Network (CEN) at the UNCW Cameron School of Business. For over twelve years, she been involved with the program as a mentor helping the next generation of business leaders achieve their career goals.

Key takeaways

• The bigger picture: Kim Nelson is helping UNCW business students navigate an increasingly complex job market by connecting them with experienced professionals who can offer practical career guidance.
• The details: The Cameron Executive Network currently pairs more than 400 students with 185 business professionals for mentoring, networking, career coaching, resume preparation and interview practice. Since 2002, the program has mentored more than 7,000 students.
• Why it matters: Mentorship can give young professionals an advantage when entering the workforce, from building confidence in interviews to making valuable connections and better understanding what employers are looking for.

CEN is a mentoring program that currently connects more than 420 students with 185 experienced business professionals for career coaching, networking, and professional development. Nelson keeps it running along with Arthur Hughes, a lecturer in supply chain at UNCW, and CEN’s co-director, and program coordinator Jenny Bingham.

The initiative matches students with volunteering industry leaders to help them with resume preparation, interview skills, and career planning. Since its inception in 2002, the program has mentored more than 7,000 students.

The CEN program is continuously seeking volunteer mentors from the business arena.

“Right now, one of the things that we pay attention to is what’s going on in the workplace,” Nelson said about how they focus CEN’s impact. “Because what’s going on in the workplace is really important to us to make sure that we’re preparing our students to join the workforce.

“One of the things that I do is I will periodically have conversations with employers to ask them, ‘What is it they’re looking for? What is it that students are doing super well? And what is it that maybe we need to teach them a little bit more about?’”

Students in the CEN mentoring program are more likely to secure internships and jobs in their desired field after graduation, and they tend to earn higher salaries, Nelson said.

“We do a lot of mock interviews with students and preparation for interviews,” she said. “One of the young ladies I was mentoring said that a person who was actually interviewing her asked her a question that no one had ever asked her before, but because of the work that I had done with her, she didn’t panic the way that she would have done previously.”

With thirty years of corporate experience in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as a background in innovative thinking and strategic planning in both for-profit and nonprofit sectors, Nelson decided to share her knowledge with aspiring students.

“I get immense pleasure out of it, knowing that I’m having an impact on the lives of young people who maybe don’t have somebody else out there that’s looking out for them, either because it just isn’t feasible or people just don’t have an interest,” she said.

Nelson was inspired to become a mentor by the profound impact of a guiding force she encountered in her career.

“I had a mentor early on in my career,” she said. “Having a person who really is kind of looking out for you and helping you and offering you advice along the way is important.”

One of her current mentees is Berklie Greene, an undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance.

“Her mentoring style fits me perfectly,” Greene said. “She has so many connections, and every week when we meet, we talk about who I’ve spoken with, what I’ve learned, anything she wants me to work on, my goals, and even some personal things. … She genuinely cares.”

Greene said that Nelson’s influence has inspired her to be more intentional, encouraging her not only to apply for jobs but also to deeply understand her fit and the value she can bring to a potential employer. Above all, Greene values her commitment to going the extra mile.

“The saying ‘Don’t drag the ladder up with you’ describes her perfectly,” Greene said. “She wants to share what she knows and who she knows, and she goes out of her way to find people for us to talk to.”

Learn more about mentoring with CEN here.