What are your names/titles/organizations that you represent?

Lisa Frantzis: Senior Managing Director, Advanced Energy Economy and Managing Director, Navigant Consulting.
Gokce Akin-Olcum: Economist, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

How would you define your career level?

Lisa Frantzis: Executive in clean energy policy and consulting.
Gokce Akin-Olcum: I actually have a long background at academia, I did my Ph.D. and post-doc in economics. I still am affiliated with Boston College’s Dept. of Economics as an adjunct professor and I still teach there. However, I decided to pursue my career, outside of academia, in environmental and energy policy making about three years ago and stepped out of academia for the first time back then. So, I define my career in the policy making business as junior.

When did you first start meeting?

Lisa and Gokce: We first met at one of NEWIEE’s events in December 2018. We ran into each other, but did not have time to talk much. Lisa encouraged me to contact her later and gave me her business card. We had a phone call following that and Lisa gave me a lot of advice on how to invest in my career (which I am making use of now every individual day 🙂 ). During that call, we have decided to become a pair for NEWIEE’s mentorship program. We met in person in January during a Carbon Free Boston event and plan to talk every few weeks.

How often do you meet?

Lisa and Gokce: Once a month in person and then more often via the phone.

Do you meet in-person / over phone? Both?

Lisa and Gokce: We are doing both. We are connecting more over the phone for regular check-ins and then in person about once per month as well. At first, we will be meeting more often in person as we get to know each other to share insights, but Lisa is also always available to address any questions that might arise over the phone if there is a more urgent matter that might need some feedback.

What have you gained personally and/or professionally from this relationship?

Lisa: We are still getting to know one another, but it has been very rewarding to talk about work experiences and lessons learned. We all make mistakes in our careers and have learned from those mistakes over the past 35+ years. If I can save someone else time and help them in their career development by sharing some of my insights, that is fulfilling to me. Gokce has been very receptive to hearing some of my “war stories” and insights and is taking immediate action to follow-through. It is wonderful mentoring someone who is receptive and eager to learn.
Gokce: Lisa and I are still in the process of knowing each other but even within this limited time that we have known each other, she has inspired me in many ways. Lisa is a super experienced professional and very welcoming to share her insights from her experience. I am impressed that she is a great listener and so down-to-earth that all of her feedback so far was right to the point, super helpful to me. Besides all these, what, I believe, is very unique to her is that she is a role model, because she combines that extensive experience with an open mind and heart that welcomes newcomers in her field and supports them.

Do you have advice to the new match up mentor/mentees on how to best set up a successful meeting structure?

Lisa: It is important to do whatever is easiest to connect often and to lock in a specific time on a regular basis, as calendars can fill up quickly. If a call can work more easily then meeting in person, it is best to just do it. I would also suggest doing what Gokce and I did, and that was to find clean energy events to meet at in person that we are both interested in. We both recently met at a Carbon Free Boston event in Boston. It was wonderful to attend that together, introduce Gokce to some people that might be of interest to her and her career, and to share our thoughts about the event as well.
Gokce: My very first suggestion, especially to the mentees, is to be proactive in finding their mentors. NEWIEE offers great events throughout the year, which are great opportunities. After pairing up, I believe that some sort of structure is beneficial to both mentors and mentees. Lisa and I hold monthly check-ins, but we are open to touch base whenever necessary. Professional events are other good opportunities for mentors and mentees to check in. Lisa suggested that the Carbon Free Boston event was a good opportunity for us to meet. I am glad she did that as I had not heard about it prior to her call. We both attended and it was amazing, not only the substance, but also the opportunity to meet other professionals in the network.

Also of Interest

• Join NEWIEE
• NEWIEE Event Calendar
• NEWIEE Jobs Board