Five Minutes With

BRIAN “BEAU” BAKER ’97

This feature spotlights the extraordinary things being done by alumni in the Navy and Marine Corps and their unique, impactful achievements in the private sector and in their communities. Please send suggestions to jimmy.debutts@usna.com.

Brian “Beau” Baker ’97 recognized his students’ potential even if they didn’t see it in themselves. He took action by founding the Ivy Plus Academy at Fern Creek High School in Louisville, KY, to help traditionally underrepresented students gain admission to, and graduate from, college.

Since its inception in 2015, Ivy Plus Academy has helped 165 seniors gain acceptance to nearly 150 different colleges (60 of which are selective/ highly-selective colleges). These 165 seniors have earned more than $95 million in merit-based scholarships. Baker commissioned as as surface warfare officer. He earned a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Louisville and has been teaching English and art history at Fern Creek High School in Louisville, KY, since 2004. He shared his journey with the Ivy Plus Academy with Shipmate. Shipmate: What spurred the creation of the Ivy Plus Academy? Baker: Fern Creek High School is a Title I, urban, public high school with more at-risk students than any other school in the state of Kentucky. We are also in an area of Louisville where fewer than 25 percent of adults have a college degree. Because of this, I noticed that many of my students did not have the motivation, information or assistance to maximize their potential.

To be honest, they were selling themselves short when it came to post-secondary opportunities. They did this because they assumed students like them were not able, or supposed, to go to college. When I asked the seniors in my class my first year what their plans were after high school, I was disconcerted to find out exactly how little they knew about the college search and application process.

What was even more disheartening was how extraordinarily gifted, talented and bright many of these students were. Because of this, I started working with students and parents during their junior and senior years to help them find their “best-fit” option after high school. These initial counselling sessions and outreach grew to become the Ivy Plus Academy.

I started this program to show our students that college is definitely an option for them and that they can succeed in college (our graduates have an 84 percent four-year college graduation rate). I have tried to show them that they have the potential and ability to chase down their dreams as much, if not more, than their peers across the nation. They are a shining example that public education can, and does, work! Shipmate: What are some of the selling points to admissions counselors to help your students get into college? Baker: This all goes back to “best-fit.” Because I start working with students and their families during their freshman year, they are able to research, tour and gain access to colleges and their admissions counselors very early in the process. Starting in their freshman year, I meet individually with students and families to help them decide on which colleges will be a good fit for them.

We also take students on campus tours across the country and host more than 50 college admissions counselors at Fern Creek High School every fall. Because of this, my students and families have a solid grounding on where they will apply by the time senior year rolls around. This broad-ranging access and counselling is reflected in their applications.

Admission counselors across the country know that when an Ivy Plus Academy student applies to their school, that student is not applying based on college rankings, name recognition or a spur-of-the-moment decision. They have diligently considered the school and know it will be a great fit based solely on whether that college will help them maximize their potential and aid them in becoming who they want to be in college and beyond.

Another selling point is that all Ivy Plus Academy students must be involved in extracurricular activities, community service and leadership roles. This ensures that college admissions counselors will know who my students are when they apply and, most importantly, what they will bring to their campus as soon as they arrive. Shipmate: How critical is relationship building with students, parents and admissions staff? Baker: It is all about relationships, most importantly trust. Seeing as 75 percent of my students will be the first in their family to go to college and 70 percent come from low-income families, they tend to have a lot of questions, worries and trepidation when it comes to the college search, application and financial aid process. By building a relationship with families and students, I am able to better understand each family’s concerns and meet them where they are earlier in the process.

When it comes to relationships with admissions staff, this is equally as important as the relationship between me and my students and families. Because my students are interacting with college admissions counselors starting their freshman year, they build honest and personal relationships over the course of years and not just during the senior-year application process. Shipmate: What lessons learned at the Naval Academy have guided you through your post-commissioning journey? Baker: The Academy taught me how to deal with failure. The Academy taught me how to become comfortable being challenged to a point of failure to realize what my fullest potential actually is. The Academy also taught me the importance of perseverance, commitment to something bigger than myself, discipline and integrity. The most integral lesson I learned during my time at the Academy is the integral importance of teamwork. ®

MENTORING MILESTONE

THE ALUMNI MENTORING PROGRAM TURNS 10

By Wendy Hudson Murphy

Members of the Class of 2016 9th Company were the first group of midshipmen to register for the Alumni Mentoring Program (AMP). AMP was created by the Class of 1969. Since its launch in 2012, AMP has drawn 4,500 participants as mentors and protégés.

In 2012, when Commander Jose Pehovaz-Diez ’99, USN (Ret.), was thinking about his eventual retirement, he began to ponder questions around what would be next for him.

Did he want to enter the civilian world? If so, how would he make the transition?

What fields were open to him and how would he translate his naval experience into terms that lay people would understand?

When he learned about a new project the Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation was launching in partnership with the Class of ’69, he was intrigued. The Alumni Mentoring Program (AMP) was developed to pair protégés like Pehovaz-Diez looking for direction with experienced mentors.

“AMP is a bold new initiative intended to energize our culture of alumni helping alumni and will benefit the country, Navy/Marine Corps, Academy and generations of alumni and midshipmen,” according to AMP’s webpage.

Pehovaz-Diez jumped at the opportunity to participate in the new program. He was seeking guidance before he determined his next steps and support from someone who had walked a similar path. He logged onto the website (amp.mywisdomshare.com), completed the information profile in less than 20 minutes, and the program sent him a list of potential alumni who matched with his experience and background.

“I liked how the program is based on interests, career and goals. When I entered my information, the system gives you a few choices for a mentor. I had a couple of choices and chose Captain Albert Bennett, USN (Ret.), from the Class of ’69,” Pehovaz-Diez said. “We first talked about how the program came to be and about the importance of giving back.”

The significance of assisting and making a mark on the lives of Naval Academy alumni, military branches and the country was the impetus behind the creation of the Alumni Mentoring Program, said Stephen J. Leaman ’69, the class representative who led the development of AMP.

In 2009, as the Class of 1969 was looking forward to its 50th reunion anniversary, Leaman said they asked themselves, “what are we going to do as a class?” They wanted something to do something meaningful.

Leaman, who was asked to lead the project, said through research the Class of 1969 identified mentoring as a tool often utilized by exceptional organizations. To be successful, he said, it would have to be designed by alumni for alumni. It could work to help at all career stages in and out of the service as their commitment to the country continues, he said.

“With the financial support of the class, we created the program, selected a software company and conducted a trial,” Leaman said. “With permission from the Alumni Association Board of Trustees, the program was offered broadly to all alumni in 2012.”

Building on Shared Experiences

The goal of AMP is simple—to match experienced Academy alumni with other alumni who are making career or life transitions of any kind. The training and background Naval Academy alumni have is very selective. By pairing alumni together, they can build on that shared experience.

“In the history of the Naval Academy, there are less than 90,000 alumni. It’s a very select group,” said Lisa Tom, an AMP administrator and one of two part-time employees who support AMP. “Your experiences are very unique. AMP provides the opportunity to learn and gain advice from those who have preceded you.

“It is a rare opportunity to serve your country and a rare opportunity to reach out and get first-hand experience from an AMP mentor who has done the exact same thing you are about to do.”

Pehovaz-Diez agrees the most important part of the mentoring process was the background he and his mentor shared.

“In our conversations, the biggest benefit was having a sounding board of someone who had gone through a naval career and then made a transition to the civilian world,” he said. “What I really liked was having a guide, listening to the things he had gone through. My mentor coached me on strategies like accomplishing more specialized schooling and focusing in on what’s next.

“As you transition, your view is broad. He helped me focus on a couple of goals and how to shoot for those goals—things like what a resume should look like, different ways to interview, books to read, things to research.”

The sign-up process is straight forward. AMP has a dedicated portal on the Alumni Association website where alumni can enroll as a protégé, a mentor or both. The form asks for details such as military service, career experience, interests and industry and career certifications and awards. When protégés complete the form, the program delivers a list of mentors with matching backgrounds.

Protégés can search the list and select a mentor who best meets their needs. If the program doesn’t generate a mentor with the exact experience a protégé needs, Tom said AMP administrators can manually search the 4,500 participant database to find a more specific match.

‘It’s an Asset’

Though the program initially targeted alumni four or five years after their graduation, protégés now span 50 years “I liked how the program is based on interests, career and goals. When I entered my information, the system gives you a few choices for a mentor. I had a couple of choices and chose Captain Albert Bennett, USN (Ret.), from the Class of ’69.”

—CDR Jose Pehovaz-Diez ’99, USN (Ret.)

“With the financial support of the class, we created the program, selected a software company and conducted a trial. With permission from the Alumni Association Board of Trustees, the program was offered broadly to all alumni in 2012.”

—Stephen Leaman ’69

of graduates. AMP encourages alumni to register as soon as they graduate and begin taking advantage of the benefits of mentoring.

“My recommendation is to start early,” Pehovaz-Diez said. “That advice goes with investing, transitioning out of the Navy, your career. It doesn’t hurt to have a mentor while just getting out of Academy. It’s an asset.

“As they’ve been growing the program, the specificity makes good matches and gives you a good rapport to talk and share experiences. I’ve now signed up as a mentor. I would love to be able to offer the experience back.”

Leaman agrees on the value of signing up as both a mentor and protégé, no matter how long you’ve been out of the Academy.

“AMP is a fantastic way to get information on different choices at all stages,” Leaman said. “I have an 86-yearold talking to me where I am the protégé on investment planning. Mentoring can happen any time, in both directions.”

The Class of ’69 raised the initial funding for AMP through an endowment campaign, with $1.9 million pledged in the first six months of the campaign. Because of the program’s success, more than $2 million was raised. Expenses are low as the process is automated and volunteers continue to support the program’s management, ensuring the ongoing operation of the program.

An all-volunteer alumni board provides feedback, oversight and guidance. The popularity of the program has expanded throughout the years and today, AMP boasts 4,500 alumni participants, including 1,400 who have been or are currently paired in protégé-mentor matches. Female alumni are also participating in greater numbers. Leaman views AMP’s rapid expansion and popularity as one of the greatest legacies his class established.

“AMP is free, it’s a gift that will allow alumni to do more, to achieve more success and to land important leadership positions to make a difference in the country and whole world,” Leaman said. “If you look at the roster of alumni and what they’ve accomplished, you can see what a difference you’ve made. To be at our age, to get together, to work hard and produce meaningful results feels really wonderful.” a