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 Fall 2024 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. Space in ProjectConnect is limited.
Our next Faculty/Staff ProjectConnect group will be virtual via Zoom and take place on Wednesdays at 12 noon on these dates: October 6, October 23, October 30, November 6, and November 13. Registration for this group will be open from September 30 to October 9, 2024.
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.
Register for a Fall 2024 Faculty/Staff ProjectConnect 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 fall as we read Together by Dr. Vivek Murthy. A free copy of the book will be provided.
Humans are social creatures: in this simple and obvious fact lies both the problem and the solution to the current crisis of loneliness. In his groundbreaking book, the 19th Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Vivek Murthy makes a case for loneliness as a public health concern: a root cause and contributor to many of the epidemics sweeping the world today from alcohol and drug addiction to violence to depression and anxiety. Loneliness, he argues, is affecting not only our health but also how our children experience school, how we perform in the workplace, and the sense of division and polarization in our society.
But, at the center of our loneliness is our innate desire to connect. We have evolved to participate in community, to forge lasting bonds with others, to help one another, and to share life experiences. We are, simply, better together.
Learn more about Together here.
Register for a book group discussion session here.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
12 noon to 1 p.m.
Virtual via Zoom
Registration will open from September 9 to September 20, 2024
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