Barbara “Barb” Cline, Special Projects Lead for the Resources and Operations Office at Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst (NAWCAD LKE), was honored as the site’s Mentor of the Year along with others from around Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) during a ceremony on Jan. 24.

“Mentoring is one of the cornerstones of NAWCAD Lakehurst’s success, elevating the performance of not only the individuals here but the teams they work on,” said Kathleen Donnelly, NAWCAD LKE executive director. “Barb has left an indelible mark on her numerous mentees, who have passed that shared knowledge on to other team members throughout our departments, ultimately benefiting NAWCAD Lakehurst and the Warfighters we support. This recognition is well deserved.”

Cline started mentoring even before she came to Lakehurst in 2014 and has had around 25 mentees. She credited a peer mentor early in her career for inspiring her to help others.

“My advice I would offer to anybody looking to get into mentoring or looking for a mentor is to find a mentor that challenges you, that’s a different job series, different department, even a different site, and then find another mentor. Because every mentor will have a different opinion, and you can’t just rely on one person,” she said. “If you are a mentee, then you need to pay it forward and become a mentor, no matter what position you’re in, your grade and how long you’ve been here. You can help anybody, even if it’s just being a peer mentor.” 

Recently, Cline helped organize a mentoring event where newer employees met more senior team members, learning how they could work together to advance their careers individually while collectively helping the Warfighter. Many of the potential mentees started working at Lakehurst during the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited face-to-face interactions with other people.

One example of the impact of her mentorship was when a mentee became co-lead for the NAWCAD Lakehurst Empowerment Forum, which helped with the overall transition from a Competency Aligned Organization to a Mission Aligned Organization, improving processes and removing barriers.

Cline said she enjoys the individual mentoring approach for each person she works with. She said everyone has different expectations and goals from the relationship, from networking to problem-solving and everything in between.

“Most importantly, I get the satisfaction, the joy of watching them excel in their career,” Cline said. “I also learn a lot from them. I have mentees from many generations, and they’ve all taught me as much as I feel I’ve taught them.”