Awards and Recognition
IMA Mentoring Lifetime Achievement Award

The IMA Mentoring Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals whose careers have been dedicated to advancing the field and practice of mentoring. Established in 2024, this distinguished honor celebrates a lifetime of service, leadership, scholarship, and impact. Recipients have helped shape mentoring across generations, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to influence the profession and inspire future mentoring leaders.

Recipients of this award have demonstrated an enduring commitment to mentoring excellence through their professional achievements, contributions to mentoring research and practice, development of mentoring programs and initiatives, and service to the broader mentoring community. Their work has helped shape the understanding, implementation, and advancement of mentoring across organizations, institutions, disciplines, and communities.

The International Mentoring Association is proud to recognize these individuals whose lifelong contributions continue to inspire others and leave a lasting legacy in the mentoring profession.

The recipient of the IMA Mentoring Lifetime Achievement Award will receive:
  • Commemorative plaque presented during the IMA Biennial Conference Awards Ceremony
  • Recognition in IMA publications, communications, and on the IMA website
  • A commemorative tribute video highlighting the recipient's contributions to the mentoring profession, presented during the IMA Biennial Conference Awards Ceremony
  • Lifetime recognition as a recipient of the IMA Mentoring Lifetime Achievement Award

 

Prior Recipients of IMA Mentoring Lifetime Achievement Award


2026 IMA Mentoring Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient 
Dr. Linda Searby

The International Mentoring Association proudly recognized Dr. Linda Searby as the recipient of the 2026 IMA Mentoring Lifetime Achievement Award during the Biennial Conference held May 12–14, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Florida.

This distinguished award honors an individual whose career has made a lasting and significant contribution to the field of mentoring through scholarship, leadership, practice, and service.

Dr. Searby was recognized for her extraordinary dedication to mentoring, her leadership in advancing the profession, and her enduring impact on mentors, mentees, mentoring programs, and mentoring scholarship. Through decades of service as a researcher, educator, author, mentor, and leader, she has helped shape the field of mentoring and inspire generations of mentoring practitioners and scholars around the world.

Her work continues to influence mentoring research, practice, and professional development, leaving a legacy that exemplifies the values and mission of the International Mentoring Association.

Watch the Tribute Video: https://youtu.be/wFFW0hgJBwY
Conference Abridged Version: https://youtu.be/OOVXsxgQAEc

2024 IMA Mentoring Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient 
Dr. Frances Kochan

The International Mentoring Association proudly recognized Dr. Frances Kochan as the inaugural recipient of the IMA Mentoring Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2024 IMA Conference held February 26–27, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

This distinguished award honors an individual whose career has made a lasting and significant contribution to the field of mentoring through scholarship, leadership, practice, and service.

Dr. Kochan was recognized for her decades of dedication to advancing mentoring research, practice, and professional development. As an internationally respected scholar, educator, author, and consultant, she has helped shape the mentoring profession through her extensive body of research, numerous publications, leadership within professional associations, and commitment to developing effective mentoring programs and relationships across diverse settings.

Throughout her career, Dr. Kochan has championed mentoring as a powerful tool for individual and organizational growth. Her contributions have influenced mentoring practitioners, researchers, educators, and leaders around the world, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to strengthen the mentoring field and inspire future generations.

Watch the Tribute Video: https://youtu.be/ZKRD0GP8Qfg