2026 Call for Proposals

19th Annual Mentoring Conference

Building Effective Mentorship Ecosystems: Advancing the Science of High-Quality Developmental Relationships

The Mentoring Institute is pleased to announce its 19th Annual Mentoring Conference, High-Quality Developmental Relationships: Building Emotionally Intelligent Mentorship Ecosystems, to be held Monday, October 19, through Friday, October 23, 2026, at the Student Union Building, University of New Mexico (Main Campus), Albuquerque, NM.

Over five days, the conference will convene scholars, practitioners, and leaders to engage in rigorous and generative dialogue through facilitated learning sessions, individual and panel presentations, experiential workshops, poster sessions, and daily plenaries. Together, participants will explore how emotionally intelligent, high-quality developmental relationships—situated within broader developmental networks and mentorship ecosystems—support learning, adaptation, performance, and long-term development across career stages and contexts.

This year’s theme reflects the expanding understanding that mentoring is not only an interpersonal practice but a multilevel developmental process that fundamentally shapes how individuals, organizations, systems, and societies evolve. Across higher education, healthcare, industry, government, and community settings, increasing complexity and persistent challenges demand emotionally intelligent approaches to developmental relationships that extend far beyond traditional dyads.

Grounded in emotional intelligence, positive psychology science, and relational and organizational theories, the conference emphasizes how high-quality developmental relationships—among mentors, coaches, peers, allies, sponsors, brokers, family members, and community partners—can:

  • Begin as brief developmental interactions (“mentoring moments”),
  • Grow into sustained one-to-one or group developmental relationships,
  • Integrate into organizational structures and cultures,
  • Expand into inter-organizational networks and cross-sector collaborations, and
  • Ultimately, influence public programs, policy design, and societal ecosystems that support human and institutional potential.

These ecosystems, informed by positive psychology concepts, enable individuals and institutions to achieve higher performance, greater adaptability, stronger collaboration, and greater impact.

Who Should Submit

We welcome proposals from faculty, students, researchers, professionals, and practitioners engaged in mentoring, coaching, supervision, leadership, developmental networks, and relational learning across:

  • Colleges and universities
  • K–12 education
  • Non-profit and NGO organizations
  • Business and industry
  • Governmental and public-sector institutions

Submissions are encouraged from all disciplines, identities, sectors, and career stages.
All accepted authors and presenters must participate in the peer review process and register for the conference. Experienced contributors are invited to serve as volunteer peer reviewers.

What We Are Looking For

The 2026 conference theme explores how high-quality developmental relationships, supported by emotional intelligence and positive psychology theories, concepts, frameworks, and tools, operate across developmental networks and mentorship ecosystems to support:

  • Individual capability and identity development
  • Career advancement and leadership readiness
  • Organizational learning, adaptability, and performance
  • Cross-sector and inter-organizational collaboration
  • Societal and policy-level efforts to expand developmental support

We invite proposals that examine how positive psychology science enhances the quality, depth, and long-term effectiveness of developmental relationships.

We also seek scholarship and practice insights about how individuals draw developmental support from multiple developers, such as:

  • Mentors and coaches
  • Friends, peers, allies, and affinity groups
  • Sponsors and brokers
  • Family members and community partners
  • Institutions, organizations, cross-sector networks, and governmental agencies

We welcome proposals examining developmental support across contexts, including:

  • One-to-one, group, peer, and team-based formats
  • Informal, formal, and hybrid arrangements
  • In-person, virtual, and digitally mediated relationships
  • Short-term interactions that evolve into long-term developmental networks
  • Organizational, inter-organizational, governmental, and societal ecosystems

Guiding Questions for Proposal Development

As you develop your proposal, consider questions related to high-quality developmental relationships at the following levels:

Individual Level

  • What distinguishes high-quality developmental relationships, and how do emotional intelligence competencies shape relational effectiveness?
  • How can positive psychology improve the quality of mentoring, coaching, sponsorship, and allied support?
  • Which evidence-based relational practices strengthen developmental ties?

Interpersonal Level

  • How do individuals draw on multiple developers across roles, identities, and life stages?
  • How do emotionally intelligent “mentoring moments” spark insight, confidence, or motivation that contribute to long-term growth?
  • How do developmental relationships support positive identity formation, capability development, and career progression?

Inter-Organizational, Cross-Sector & Societal Levels

  • How can developmental networks bridge institutions or sectors to create broader opportunities and equity?
  • What roles do governmental agencies or public policies play in shaping access to developmental support?
  • How can emotionally intelligent mentorship ecosystems contribute to societal goals such as innovation, mobility, resilience, or civic leadership?

Ecosystem Design, Scalability & Impact

  • Which tools—such as network mapping, emotional intelligence diagnostics, strengths assessments, or developmental network interventions—enable organizations to measure and improve mentorship ecosystems?
  • What strategies support scalability, sustainability, and cross-context adaptation of mentorship ecosystems?
  • How can emotional intelligence and positive psychology science guide long-term ecosystem development and institutional transformation?

 

Guidelines for Presenters & Reviewers

Enrollment

All presenters must create or update their Mentoring Institute account. Submit abstracts through My Conference after logging in.

By applying to present, accepted authors and co-authors agree to:

  • Register by May 15, 2026
  • Participate in the June 1–30 peer review period

Submission of Abstracts

Submission Period: February 15 – April 15, 2026

Three submission types are accepted:

  1. Research Projects
  2. Case Studies of Programs or Initiatives
  3. Theoretical Models, Conceptual Papers, or Systematic Literature Reviews

All abstracts must be 300 words, divided into four 75-word sections:

  1. Introduction & Presentation Format (75 words)
    Briefly introduce the topic, purpose, and relevance of your presentation. Specify whether this is an individual or group session and describe the developmental relationship, mentorship ecosystem, or multilevel context that your work addresses.
     
  2. Theoretical & Conceptual Foundations (75 words)
    Identify the key theories, concepts, and frameworks informing your work. Clarify how these foundations shape your inquiry or practice.
     
  3. Context, Methods, or Approach (75 words)
    Depending on your project type, summarize the research methodology, case context, program model, analytic strategy, or conceptual approach. Include relevant populations, organizational settings, or ecosystem levels (individual, interpersonal, organizational, inter-organizational, policy, societal).
     
  4. Contributions, Outcomes & Implications (75 words)
    Highlight key findings, insights, or contributions to the science or practice of high-quality developmental relationships and mentorship ecosystems. Discuss how multilevel developmental processes inform your conclusions and describe implications for individuals, institutions, or broader systems.

Expectations for Accepted Presentations

  • Acceptance notification: April 30, 2026
  • Presentation length: 45 minutes
    • 30-minute presentation
    • 10 minutes Q&A
    • 5-minute evaluation
  • Paper submission (5–7 pages): Due May 30, 2026
  • Papers will be published in The Chronicle of Mentoring and Coaching
  • All accepted authors must review 3–5 papers in June

Registration & Presenter Benefits

All presenters, authors, and reviewers must register to appear in the final program.

  • $100 presenter discount (applied to the standard $600 fee)
  • Access to all plenaries, keynotes, posters, and facilitated sessions

Student Fee Waivers

Full-time presenting students may request a fee waiver by April 15, 2026, by emailing mentor@unm.edu with:

  1. Subject: Student Author Fee Waiver Request
  2. Proof of full-time enrollment
  3. Waiver request details

Waivers do not apply to non-presenting students.

Important Dates

Abstracts and Papers             Registration
Abstract Submission**   Feb 15 - April 15             Early Registration Feb 15 - May 15
Proposal Acceptance Notice   April 30             Presenter Registration Feb 15 - May 15
Paper Submission Due   May 30             Reviewer Registration Feb 15 - May 30
Peer-Review Process   June 1 - 30             Participant Registration** May 30 - Oct 13
Peer-Reviewed Papers Returned   July 1             Conference Program Sep 30
Final Paper Submission Due   July 30             Conference Oct 19-23

**To submit an abstract, create an account or log in to the Mentoring Institute’s website, click My Conference, and submit abstract.

***Refund policy:

Before Jun 30th – full refund

Before July 30th – 50% refund;

After July 31st - no refunds will be processed.