At the AMPP Annual Conference + Expo 2025 in Nashville, the association's EMERG Student Outreach Program began offering career coaching opportunities to students and young professionals in attendance.  

Under this program, members of “Gen Next” are able to sign up for 30-minute sessions with industry experts. On the other side, industry professionals can share time and expertise while providing guidance to young attendees who are either still in school or just starting out in the industry. 

For students, AMPP is offering 30-minute coaching time slots at this week's conference. Volunteers can sign up for a maximum of two shifts, or one hour each day.

If you are interested in getting involved, please reach out to Heather Lowry at heather.lowry@ampp.org. Coaches must have a minimum of seven years experience in a professional role in the materials protection field.

In the initial sessions, Julio G. Maldonado, Ph.D. — Senior Upstream Materials and Corrosion Engineer at the Chevron Technical Center in Houston, Texas — met with Ingrid Santillan of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and Joshua Lake of Auburn University.

Some characteristics of a good career coach, according to EMERG, include:

• Relevant expertise and knowledge of the materials protection industry;
• Enthusiasm for sharing that expertise and knowledge;
• Passion for investing in others;
• Values ongoing learning and growth in the field;
• Being attentive;
• Able to provide guidance and constructive feedback;
• Willingness to further develop the mentor-mentee relationship.

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More information on AMPP's EMERG program is available here.