In May 2020, soon after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit many countries in the world, the OMT Division launched the OMT Meetup initiative aimed at supporting doctoral students and junior faculty to build their professional networks and receive feedback and mentorship. At a time when most conferences and external speaker visits were being cancelled because of COVID-19, the OMT Meetup initiative offered the opportunity to meet for a one-on-one virtual conversation with a senior OMT scholar.
Because the initiative was such a great success, we decided to continue it even after the pandemic. We are now in our 6th round of OMT Meetups! Both mentees and mentors showed and continue to show their appreciation and support through numerous messages on social media, such as:
“Best thing I wake up to! OMT Online Meetup Allocations! I cannot thank the committee enough for both the idea and their efforts. Being paired with senior OMT scholars is not only motivating but also humbling opportunity! @AOM_OMT”
“Had a great discussion about emerging technologies and the future of work this morning as part of the OMT Meetups. As the mentor, I even got feedback.”
“Finished my second OMT online meetup. Both meetings have been incredibly valuable to gaining insight into the field (hearing personal stories of success, failure, and luck) and academically energizing. Thank you, OMT”
“Just had the first conversation as part of OMT Online Meetups & came away more enthused about research & academia! So grateful for this initiative that connects junior scholars with senior scholars for inspiration & advice. Can't wait for more conversations over the summer!”
OMT Meetups reflect our deep commitment to our members, and we’re always looking for ways to increase their opportunities to converse, collaborate, and connect. After all, one of our core values at OMT is to promote a safe, caring, and inclusive environment by sparking more conversations and fostering deeper relationships between our members. We are looking forward to continue the OMT Meetups and hope that our members will continue to take advantage of this opportunity and help us build our community one Meetup at a time.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please reach out to Christine Moser.
We hope to see you at OMT Meetups and the AOM 2024 Annual Meeting. And remember, OMT is the Place to be!