While current student personnel issues such as restricted budgets, personal accountability, and increased, government regulations necessarily have been the focal concerns of chief student personnel officers, the growth and development of new professional staff who work with them on these priorities have not been given much attention. New student personnel professionals need suitable mentors who will provide guidance, support and opportunities for them. Student personnel literature to date fails to emphasize and define the functions and the significance of the mentor-protege relationship. The goals of this article are: (1) to describe the functions of a mentor; (2) to suggest guidelines for choosing a mentor; (3) to delineate the rewards of the relationship for the mentor and protege; and (4) to highlight research pertaining to aspiring women professionals. This article is addressed to two audiences: the potential mentor, who may be a chief personnel administrator, a faculty member, or a counselor; and the new professional in student personnel. The authors hope to persuade both the mentor and the protege that developing mentor relationships is a vital activity and should be encouraged as a conscious professional practice.