Etta Ward is a former Assistant Vice Chancellor Research Development from Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI). She led research development programs and operations for over twenty-two years. Her primary role was to help advance the IUI research mission through faculty research and professional development, which included research mentorship and a key strategy. Ward departed IUI in early 2024 to pursue her own venture Full Circle Consulting, LLC. She continues to promote effective mentoring as a strategy for personal and professional success, which has been central to many efforts and has grown well beyond the boundaries of academia. As a Certified Facilitator and designated Principal Facilitator of the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research curriculum, Ward has built a body of work around effective mentorship – especially targeting minoritized populations. She promotes competency-based and culturally aware mentoring strategies that bolster inclusive mentoring cultures. This specific work served as the impetus for her successful application to and experience in the 2018 IEA Fulbright program to France and Belgium. Ward views this work as her professional calling, with potential to impact mentoring generations into the future. She values opportunities to pay-it-forward by sharing her insights and passion with diverse audiences from all career stages, disciplines, and professions. As a resident consultant with AtKisson Training Group, Ward is a founding member of the LEAD-in3 program design team and serves as a DEI strategist.