Our Mission
The mission of ACE is to engage, excite, and enlighten high school students to pursue careers in
Architecture
Construction, &
Engineering
through mentoring and continued support for their advancement into the industry.
Our Primary Goals
Help build a large, diverse, and better-prepared workforce
Prioritize engaging students and communities traditionally underrepresented in the industry
Assist and guide students by providing scholarships, internships, and mentoring as they pursue career pathways into the industry
ACE MENTOR PROGRAM HOUSTON
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ACE MENTOR PROGRAM HOUSTON 〰️
Meet our Board Members
The ACE Houston Board is made up of a dedicated team of professionals and community leaders who are passionate about supporting the next generation of students. Bringing together experience from across the architecture, engineering, construction, and education industries, our Board provides leadership, guidance, and support to help ACE Houston create meaningful opportunities for students to explore careers, build connections, and discover their potential.
Our History
ACE Mentor Program of America
The ACE Mentor Program of America was founded in New York in 1994 by Charlie Thornton of Thornton Tomasetti, a structural engineering firm. After several years of experimenting with various mentoring models, ACE was formally launched when 17 firms banded together into 3 teams, each organized like a typical design and construction team, and “adopted” about 90 students from local high schools.
Volunteers from each of the firms, serving as mentors, worked directly with the students to introduce them to the broad range of people and projects within the construction industry.
After proving success in NYC, ACE expanded to New Jersey in 1998 and Connecticut the following year. By the turn of the century, ACE had 7 affiliates in 6 states, serving nearly 1,000 students each year.
Today, ACE Mentor Program of America is the construction industry's fastest-growing high school mentoring program, reaching over 14,000 students annually with a network of over 5,000 volunteer mentors.
ACE Mentor Program Houston
In January of 2009, formal paperwork was filed to establish the Houston affiliate of the ACE Mentor Program with Carrie Arnold-Gutierrez from Bechtel leading the way. She moved to Texas from Baltimore, where she first got involved with ACE, and knew the organization needed an affiliate in Houston.
Due to Hurricane Ike striking Houston in September of 2008, plans to launch the affiliate were delayed, making 2009-2010 our first full program year after a soft launch in Spring 2009 with a small, but mighty group of 32 students and 11 mentors.
Today, ACE Houston hosts eight mentoring locations across the city, including a thriving virtual platform, where our team of over 150 volunteer mentors meet with over 350 students on a weekly basis to talk about careers in design and construction.
OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF ACE MENTOR PROGRAM HOUSTON
OUR MISSION
ACE MENTOR PROGRAM NATIONAL
PRIMARY GOALS
Help build a large, diverse, and better-prepared workforce.
Prioritize engaging students and communities traditionally
underrepresented in the industry.
Assist and guide students by providing scholarships, internships, and mentoring as they pursue career pathways into the industry.
OUR CORE VALUES
INCLUSION
We will nurture and value the diversity of backgrounds, identities, talents and beliefs of each individual involved in our program.
COLLABORATION
We believe a spirit of mutually beneficial collaboration will produce the greatest results and maximize our volunteer and fiscal resources.
EXCELLENCE
We aspire to deliver the highest quality and most impactful mentor program and commit to approach our work with fairness and honesty.
OUR 2030 VISION
ACE MENTOR PROGRAM HOUSTON
OUR VISION
ACE Houston brings the local AEC community together to empower students to pursue and own their future professional success. As we look toward 2030, ACE Houston strengthens our foundation and grows our capacity to build the program for the future.
WE WILL...
NVEST IN OUR STUDENTS, OUR MENTORS & VOLUNTEERS, OUR INDUSTRY, AND OUR ORGANIZATION.
CULTIVATE BIG, BOLD IDEAS TO GROW OUR REACH AND DEEPEN OUR IMPACT.
EMBED MENTORSHIP AT ALL LEVELS OF ACE HOUSTON.
STUDENT SUCCESS
CONTINUE TO CENTER STUDENT SUCCESS THROUGH THE strength of our mentorship, curriculum, and events.
Give students a holistic view of AEC career paths, including trades and affiliate industries
Improve accessibility of our program
Continue to keep curriculum relevant, incorporating emerging AEC needs and meeting students where they are
Provide support for students to invest in their futures Incorporate alumni into the participant
OUR STRATEGIC GOAL PILLARS
INDUSTRY SUCCESS
HELP VOLUNTEERS BE THE BEST POSSIBLE RESOURCE FOR STUDENTS,GROW THEIR PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, AND BUILD COMMUNITY.
Strengthen volunteer training: soft skills, mentorship skills, and leadership development
Define growth paths for mentors and volunteers that empower them,
facilitate coaching and mentorship, and identify emerging leaders
Encourage greater community among all volunteer roles and levels,
including greater Board exposure
CREATE MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS TO ADVANCE THE AEC INDUSTRY.
Continue to develop and strengthen ACE’s relationships with AEC
companies and professional organizations to increase awareness, support, and collaboration
Engage trade partners to expose students to trade mentoring, training, and career opportunities
Understand the current trends and challenges faced by the AEC industry to better prepare our students with timely skills and knowledge
Celebrate ACE student, volunteer, and industry success for greater visibility
MENTOR/VOLUNTEER SUCCESS
EXPAND OUR ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY AND CREATE STABLE STRUCTURE TO SUPPORT FUTURE GROWTH.
Strengthen our infrastructure to improve operational resilience Align financial and fundraising goals to support ambitious program and organizational growth
Evolve the role of the Board to meet the growing needs of our program
Refine committees' roles, responsibilities, and structure; and foster a collaborative relationship with the Board
ORGANIZATIONAL SUCCESS
