ProjectConnect helps faculty and staff build a stronger community and enhance workplace well-being at Mason. Faculty and staff who participate in ProjectConnect will meet in groups of 4 to 6 participants for five 1-hour sessions and engage in a series of thought-provoking questions and fun activities.
ProjectConnect is a great fit for faculty and staff who are:
- Community-builders who want to improve the workplace well-being at Mason
- Committed to participating in deeper, more interesting conversations
- New employees or employees want to expand their social circle at work
- Interested in getting to know colleagues in a small-group setting (4 to 6 participants)
- Willing to commit to all session dates
Register for a Faculty/Staff ProjectConnect Group
Faculty/staff groups will run for five weeks. We will send the location or Zoom link to participants after registration. You must be able to commit to the first five sessions.
| Faculty/Staff Group
Virtual via Zoom Tuesdays, 12 noon |
| February 4 |
| February 11 |
| February 18 |
| February 25 |
| March 4 |
| Sign up by January 29, 2025. |
Register for a Book Discussion Group
ProjectConnect faculty/staff small-group book discussions are designed to foster conversation around social connection, loneliness, sense of belonging, and other topics related to social well-being. Join us this spring as we read The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center by Rhaina Cohen. A free copy of the book will be provided to read after you register.
The Other Significant Others tells the stories of people who make a friendship the central relationship in their lives – owning homes together, raising kids together, or caring for each other for decades. Like romantic couples, these friends form a “we.” At a time of declining marriage rates and a loneliness epidemic, these friends help us imagine alternative models for a fulfilling life and ask us to rethink which relationships matter most.
There will be two opportunities to participate in a faculty/staff book discussion group. Register for a session here.
| Friday, February 21, 2025 | Tuesday, April 8, 2025 |
| 12 noon to 1 p.m. | 12 noon to 1 p.m. |
| Virtual via Zoom | Virtual via Zoom |
| Registration will close on January 16, 2025 | Registration will be open from February 17-27, 2025 |
Contact Us
Our center sponsors ProjectConnect. If you have questions or would like more information about ProjectConnect, please contact:
Zareena Khan, Assistant Director of Student Well-Being, at: zkhan54@gmu.edu
Facilitator Bios – Faculty/Staff Groups
Katie Clare: Katie is the Director of Well-Being Programs for the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being (CWB) where she is responsible for leading and collaborating on well-being programs offered to our campus community such as the Resilience Badge, Mental Health First Aid, mindfulness training courses, and ProjectConnect. Knowing the significant relationship between social connection, mental health, and well-being, she is proud to help foster connections as a ProjectConnect facilitator. When not working, Katie loves spending time with her teenage son, reading, going to museums, and cooking/baking new and favorite recipes.
Stacey Ellis, M.Ed, MS: Stacey is passionate about well-being, health, wellness, event planning, team building, reward/recognition, kindness, engagement, and belonging. As the HR Faculty and Staff Engagement Program Manager, with Human Resources, and a member of the Mason Chooses Kindness Executive Committee, Stacey has 17 years of higher education experience, including diverse experiences in Student and Academic Affairs. Stacey has been a Project Connect Facilitator since Fall 2023 and enjoys the opportunity to create connection and belonging across units and work locations. Stacey encourages all Mason faculty and staff to participate in Project Connect to decrease loneliness in the workplace and enhance well-being! Outside of work, Stacey can be found cheering on her boys at a variety of sporting events, reading, running, paddleboarding, hiking, and just about any outdoor adventure! To learn more about the offerings of the Faculty and Staff Engagement Team, including flexible work, rewards and recognition, the faculty and staff experience survey, professional development, employee resource groups, performance management, well-being, and more, visit the Faculty and Staff Engagement website or email sellis16@gmu.edu with questions.
Philip Wilkerson: Philip Wilkerson is an Employer Engagement Consultant at GMU Career Services. In this role, he liaises between employers and the GMU community to ensure career opportunities such as jobs and internships are available to students, faculty/staff, and alumni. He oversees the following industries: Media. Entertainment, Journalism, Public Relations, Graphic Design, Sports & Recreation, Hospitality& Tourism, and Technology & Engineering. Earlier in 2024, Philip was nominated as the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)’s “Mentor of the Year” for supporting other higher education professionals throughout the country by demonstrating leadership and providing exceptional support for the professional growth and advancement of this mentee(s). In the past, he was awarded “Employee of the Month” for GMU in September 2019, the” Forty under 40” list for GMU Black Alumni, “Forty under Forty” for the Northern Virginia area through the Leadership Center for Excellence as well as being a recipient for the “Pillar Award” which is for a GMU staff member who supports Black students. He is also the faculty advisor for the Iota Alpha Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the GMU NAACP chapter. In his free time, he hosts a podcast called Positive Philter, which focuses on well-being and Toastmasters. He is married to Maggie Wilkerson, LSCW (JMU Class of 2007, Social Work), and father to two boys, Bennett and Miles.