Development Opportunities

The Elon Advocates for Diversity and Accessibility serves as a resource network for its members and the broader campus as we promote greater access, equity and inclusivity for employees who navigate physical or mental impairments that substantially limit one or more major life activities, senses or cognition. With better dedicated resourcing and education, we hope that more employees will exercise their rights to the reasonable accommodations afforded to them under the law.

For more information, please contact Katie King at kingcath@elon.edu, Cora Palfy at cpalfy@elon.edu or Tony Reyes at treyes@elon.edu 

The AMAZING ADMINS series, created for administrative professionals, provides working and networking opportunities in an environment focused on fellowship and friendship. Fellow admins, as well as special guests, speak on a variety of interesting topics and then open the floor for an enthusiastic Q & A. Please contact Tracy Pace at tpace@elon.edu with any questions.

Looking for a Notary Public? Several members of the Amazing Admins ERG are certified to provide notary public services.

This new ERG is in support of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) staff and faculty at Elon University. More information will be available here in the future, meanwhile please contact George Dou, Assist Director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity & Diversity Education at gdou@elon.edu with any questions.

The Black Employee Resource Group (ERG) is an organization meant to provide an encouraging environment and career advancement opportunities for Elon University black employees and their affiliates. The group sponsors community and professional development, educational, and networking events for black faculty & staff. The Black ERG is dedicated to attracting and retaining black professionals by building strong networks and support for the black community.

Guiding Pillars:

• Advocate
• Develop
• Preserve
• Retain
• Serve

The Black Employee Resource Group is excited to share a referral guide of businesses, companies, and vendors in our community recommended by black faculty and staff.

Link to the Black Employee Resource Group Referral Guide

To learn more, please contact Simone Royal at sroyal2@elon.edu , Michael Williams at willimt@elon.edu or George Talbert at gtalbert4@elon.edu

Caregiving is an important part of life. We are all either current caregivers, past caregivers or future Caregivers. This group provides education, resources and community to support past, present and future Caregivers.

To learn more, contact Jeffrey Clark at jclark28@elon.edu , Stephanie Kennedy at skennedy16@elon.edu or Natalie Schoor at nschorr@elon.edu

The Cultivating Emerging Professionals ERG is specifically geared towards employees who are new to Elon, young professionals (35 years and below), or have been employed at Elon for 5 years or less. The mission of this group is to help emerging professionals formulate personal and professional goals; create strategies to keep emerging professionals invested and driven within the community; provide tools and resources for self-advocacy within the workplace among supervisors and colleagues; and strengthening weaknesses, cultivating potential, and building confidence and professional esteem throughout the development of the emerging professional.

To learn more, contact Megan Gregg at mgregg7@elon.edu, Alison Doherty at adoherty2@elon.edu, or Maria Papapietro at mpapapietro@elon.edu.

The process of divorce can be confusing and stressful, and we can all benefit from the wisdom and support of colleagues who are sharing similar experiences. Whether you are newly (or not-so-newly) divorced, well along in the process, just filing, or considering divorce, you are invited to attend the next meeting of Elon’s Divorce ERG. While everyone’s experience of divorce is different, depending on age or stage in life, finances, which spouse filed, etc., there are certain basics that are common to most divorces. Come join our discussion, share advice, ask questions, work through the many issues that may arise, and celebrate the small victories along the way for you and your colleagues.

To learn more, contact Pat Burton at pburton@elon.edu

This group is open to any staff or faculty that has one or more children of any age. Join us as we begin this community, talk about best ways to move forward, and support each other through this journey of parenthood.

To learn more, please contact Kristin Walker at kwalker19@elon.edu or Jennie Goforth at jgoforth@elon.edu

The Global Connections (ERG) provides support and information to international faculty and staff. It offers a space for community building and professional development to Elon’s international faculty/staff and those interested in global engagement. The group sponsors community and professional development and educational and networking events.

To learn more, contact Sylvia Munoz at munozs@elon.edu or Takudzwa Madzima at tmadzima@elon.edu

The Hispanic/Latinx ERG provides support and information to Hispanic/Latinx employees at Elon about internal and external resources and opportunities. These may include Hispanic associations/professional groups that faculty and staff can belong to, interesting events on campus, grants, other funding opportunities, etc.

To learn more, contact Vanessa Bravo at vbravo@elon.edu or Keren Rivas at krivas@elon.edu.

The LGBTQIA Employee Resource Group builds community across faculty and staff who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer, intersex, and asexual. Our monthly gatherings alternate between happy hour socials that build community and lunchtime meetings around LGBTQIA topics of interest that impact the personal and professional lives of Elon’s LGBTQIA faculty and staff.

For more information, please reach out to anyone on the Leadership Team:

· Michael Abernethy at mabernethy2@elon.edu (University Communications) ·Richard Blackmon at rblackmon2@elon.edu (Engineering) ·Daniel Castillo at jcastillo3@elon.edu (University Advancement) ·Luis Garay at lgaray@elon.edu (Gender and LGBTQIA Center) ·Tanner Gill at tgill5@elon.edu (Residence Life) ·Lynn Huber at lhuber@elon.edu (Religious Studies) ·Antoinette Polito at apolito@elon.edu (Physician Assistant Studies)

The Mindfulness ERG is for those faculty and staff who are interested in harnessing the power of mindfulness to improve self-regulation, enhance social relationships in the workplace, improve resilience in the face of challenges, increase task performance, and enhance their overall well-being.

To learn more please contact Bob Martin at bmartin23@elon.edu.

The purpose of the Elon University remote employee resource group is to create a sense of belonging and community among remote employees at Elon, helping them to feel supported and engaged with the university. This ERG serves as a valuable resource in creating a more inclusive and supportive workplace culture, particularly as remote work becomes more common. Some common activities and initiatives that the Elon University remote employee resource group may undertake include virtual college coffee, virtual training or skill-building sessions, online discussion groups focused on professional development, and advocacy or outreach efforts aimed at promoting remote work or improving the remote work experience at Elon University.

To learn more contact Rachaele Henderson at rhenderson11@elon.edu or Brittany Slaughter at bslaughter2@elon.edu

The Student Employee Supervisor ERG collaborates to inform, resource, and create best practices in the area of supervision for student employees. This group is open to Elon staff and faculty who supervise, or desire to supervise, student employees. Our monthly meetings include engaging topics such as recruiting, training, development, mentoring, design thinking, corrective action, and performance evaluations. Each meeting includes an introduction to the topic followed by facilitated table discussions around the room.

To learn more, contact Rene Jackson at rjackson11@elon.edu

Are you interested in living a more sustainable lifestyle? Would you like to help create a more sustainable work environment? The Sustainability Employee Resource Group aims to inform and support employees interested in creating a more sustainable workplace. Join us as we begin this community, discuss the best ways to move forward, and support each other on our sustainability journeys.

For more information, please contact Kelly Harer at kharer@elon.edu or Elaine Durr at edurr@elon.edu

Thrive After 55 ERG (formerly Retirement ERG) is a welcoming group that explores personal growth opportunities, retirement planning, and crafting your meaningful Third Life. Topics presented have included travel, wealth management, hobbies, insurance, senior health, age and exercise, downsizing and volunteer service. We want to help you discover exciting new opportunities to engage in. We will provide critical advice about retirement planning from expert speakers. Join us to find answers and build community with Elon colleagues.

To learn more, please contact Betty Garrison at bgarrison@elon.edu or Deb Shaw at dshaw9@elon.edu

The Women’s Forum at Elon ERG was created to serve as a resource for faculty and staff women addressing issues of importance such as professional development, mentoring, and empowerment.

The goals for this ERG include:

1. To foster a supportive environment for women at Elon University
2. To promote discussions and awareness around topics related to women’s lives
3. To identify and support pathways for career advancement and professional development opportunities for women

To learn more, contact Shayna Mehas at smehas@elon.edu