Talking BITs: Building the Next Layer: Using Mentorship, Sponsorship, and Strategic Networking to Develop the Next Generation of Behavioral Intervention Professionals
July 10, 2026 | 2:00pm - 3:15pm ET
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Presenter: Tara Shollenberger
Mid-level case managers and student affairs professionals are the connective tissue of their institutions, yet many find themselves without the strategic relationships needed to advance their careers or develop the professionals around them. Whether you work in a university Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) or a K-12 district-level threat assessment office, the landscape looks remarkably similar: It's rich in mentorship conversations, but poor in sponsorship opportunities.
This session explores the distinct and complementary roles of mentorship, sponsorship, and strategic networking in professional development, with particular emphasis on the sponsorship gap that research consistently identifies as the most critical and most overlooked barrier to advancement. Through an interactive mentorship mapping exercise grounded in MIT's MICRO framework, attendees will audit their professional support networks, identify gaps, and leave with a concrete 90-day plan to grow as strategic mentees and as intentional multipliers for the professionals they supervise and support.