One-on-one with Mentor Col. Carey Jones

Col. Carey "Mamba" Jones is a first-year mentor who brings three decades of experience in the U.S. Air Force in strategy, program management and instruction. She is a fighter pilot and has first-hand experience with putting aerodynamics into action, whether it's flying, coordinating tactics, or ensuring warfighter requirements are met in the F-35 and F-22. 

Jones earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and she has two master's degrees –  in grand strategy and military operational arts and science, as well as graduate work in aerodynamics and meteorology. She is a Department of Defense Skillbridge intern for fall 2024 and plans to apply for a full-time career track position at the University of Arizona.

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What inspired you to become a mentor?

I was blown away by the level of projects I witnessed at the Craig M. Berge Design Day my first year at the university. I want to coach the teams to put their education into action in this culminating course. 

As a facilitator, I hope to mentor my teams through the storming phase of team development so they can have a high-performing team experience that caps off their undergraduate work.

What is your personal experience of having a mentor?

Throughout my military career, mentors have helped me focus on the right objectives or have given me the tools to overcome significant challenges. Beyond coaching, these mentors demonstrated what success looked like in their careers and brought me up with them.

What's your favorite team you are mentoring, and why?

The one that earns an A on Design Day! Just kidding – I love all my teams this year. They're so different and the team dynamics are so varied that I enjoy something different about each team.

Describe a moment when you saw clearly how students benefit from mentorship.

I've been blessed to see many Air Force cadets over the last few years take huge steps in realizing their dreams and potential. As it relates to engineering design, I loved seeing the light come on for one of my teams with respect to requirements. They were struggling with moving forward with their project, but once they honed in on the actual requirements, it really clarified their project and propelled them forward.

What advice would you offer to others considering mentoring a design team?

Do it! If you want to best prepare the teams and be able to focus on what I consider the good stuff, become familiar with the design process the university uses and the way they format deliverables. I could have helped my teams more by knowing the differences from my experience a little earlier in the semester.

Tell us something about yourself that people might be surprised to learn.

I love music and art. I sing at my local church and do lighting design for children's theater.