Guest Scholars:
Dr. Holly Hutchins (University of North Texas).
Dr. Rajashi Ghosh (Columbia University).
Dr. Eunbi Sim (Boise State University).
Dr. Oliver “Ozzie” Crocco (Louisiana State University).
Topics Include:
What do we mean by the term “mentoring” in the context of HRD?
What are the main mentoring needs of HRD scholars and how was the AHRD Partnership Mentoring Program designed to meet those needs?
From your experience, what were some typical participant experiences of those going through the program?
What is mutuality, what role did it play in the AHRD program, and why might an institution or association want to consider this kind of partnership mentoring program that emphasizes mutuality?
What made the program effective – essentially, what lessons did you learn about how to design such a program and what are a few examples of where you have “changed your minds” as a result of those lessons?
As a designer, what advice do you have for institutions or associations considering establishing a mentoring program that emphasizes mutuality? Specifically, what steps would you recommend they take first?
As a participant, what advice would you give to current or prospective mentoring participants about practicing mutuality?
Bios:
Dr. Holly Hutchins is the Vice Provost of Faculty Success at the University of North Texas, a Carnegie Tier One and HIS/MSI-serving institution. In this role, she provides strategic leadership to ensure equitable faculty-related academic policies, effective communication processes, diverse and inclusive learning opportunities, and prestigious faculty recognition initiatives. Dr. Hutchins supports UNT’s faculty learning communities, oversees faculty mentoring and developmental grants and initiatives, and the leadership fellow programs within academic affairs. She coordinates with other academic affairs units to address faculty human resource issues and provides counsel on developing healthy, just, and sustainable workplace climates. Before going to UNT in 2021, Dr. Hutchins was a professor of human resource development at the University of Houston, where she was active in various leadership roles focused on faculty professional development and advancement. She is co-founded the AHRD's Mentoring Partner Program with Dr. Rajashi Ghosh which will celebrate its 10th year in 2026.
Dr. Rajashi Ghosh is an Associate Professor in Adult learning and Leadership and the incoming Vice Chair of the Department of Organization and Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Ghosh’s research aims to explore how different developmental initiatives (e.g., mentoring, coaching, leadership development) can facilitate learning and development through building inclusive relational spaces and countering the prevalence of workplace incivility. She has published several articles in high-impact peer-reviewed journals and has co-edited 3 books published by Palgrave MacMillan publishers. Her work is interdisciplinary, as evidenced by the different awards she has received, the most recent ones including the 2021 National Science Foundation (NSF) Mid-Career Award (MCA) grant, the 2022 AHRD R. Wayne Pace Book of the Year Award for her recently co-edited book, Connecting and Relating at Work: HRD Perspectives on Developmental Relationships, and the 2025 AERA Mentoring and Mentorship SIG Distinguished Paper Award for her paper on the impact of diverse developmental networks on minoritized engineering students' meaning-making-capacity. Dr. Ghosh draws from her own scholarship on developmental relationships to guide the design and implementation of the AHRD Mentoring Partner program as a program co-lead, thus bridging the theory-practice gap in the field of HRD.
Dr. Eunbi Sim is an Assistant Professor at Boise State University in the program of Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning. Her research focuses on exploring critical, intersectional feminist methodologies, practices, and pedagogies in work and organizational contexts. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD). She has participated in the AHRD mentoring program since 2022 and published a collaborative ethnographic study on her mentoring experience in Human Resource Development Quarterly.
Dr. Oliver “Ozzie” Crocco is Associate Professor of Leadership and Human Resource Development at Louisiana State University, where he investigates how adults learn, lead, and thrive in global contexts. His early career involved co-designing a certificate program for leaders of community organizations and social enterprises in Myanmar and along the Thailand-Myanmar border. This applied, cross-cultural approach to learning and leadership development anchors his scholarship and research paradigm. Ozzie’s work has been recognized with the AHRD Early Career Scholar Award and honors from Human Resource Development International and the European Journal of Training and Development. He speaks at universities and conferences worldwide and will spend 2025-26 as a Visiting Scholar at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. Perhaps most relevant to this podcast is that he has participated in AHRD’s Peer Mentoring Program since 2018, which he sees as integral to his success.
How To Listen
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About The Series:
For full details of the Human Resource Development Masterclass podcast, visit the AHRD website via the handy shortcut of: http://www.hrdmasterclass.com/
Sponsors:
The Educational Human Resource Development Program at Texas A&M University, which aims to transform lives through teaching, research, and outreach. Addressing critical issues in talent, leadership, career, and organization development, the program promotes inclusive excellence across local, national, and global contexts. Its modern curriculum emphasizes scientific approaches and evidence-based decision making to prepare students for today’s complex and dynamic workplace environment. Graduates are scholar-practitioners who connect and apply theory and research to inform policy and practice, improving the lives of individuals and the effectiveness of organizations. You can learn more about our program by visiting eahr.tamu.edu.
