MEET STACY
Stacy works with leaders to solve complex talent development challenges through innovative mentorship, internal mobility, and employee support strategies & programs. These services drive outcomes in onboarding, upskilling, engagement, acquisition, and sales initiatives. Her sweet spot is industries and companies focused on developing talent from within or attempting to attract diverse emerging talent.
In 2017, Stacy Cassio founded the Pink Mentor Network to overcome the shortage of female mentorship in male-dominated industries. This community introduced a brand new model for mentorship. Today, that model is being used by organizations of all sizes & industries to build transparent, scalable, measurable employee development & support programs. Stacy is dedicating her life to reshaping how individuals seek & obtain mentorship, and helping organizations build cultures of mentorship.
In 2019, her work was nominated for the Athena International Corporate Award for Leadership and Charlotte Inno’s “Opportunity Champion” award. Stacy also was named a Mecklenburg Times 2019 Phenom, and most recently Acquisition International’s Most Influential Mentorship Innovator - 2021, Meck Times 50 Most Influential Woman, and a 2021 Female Thought Leader - Business Services by the Stevie Awards, and Empowering Women In Industry’s Mentor of the Year 2021. Stacy currently serves on the Board of Charlotte is Creative and mentors at the Women’s Intercultural Exchange. She also has led national mentorship circles for NextUp Carolinas and Empowering Women in Industry.
STACY'S CAREER WAS BUILT & FUELED BY GREAT MENTORS UNTIL SHE BECAME ONE.
“Legacy is the lives we impact, not the lives we create. Mentorship is my vehicle to greater impact.”
COMPANY BACKGROUND
Stacy Cassio is the founder of the Pink Mentor Network, which she established in April 2017. At the time, Stacy was leading an all-male engineering team within a male-dominated manufacturing firm. In search of female mentorship, she found that while women were willing to offer advice and make introductions, genuine mentorship was scarce.
TO ADDRESS THIS GAP, STACY CREATED "MENTOR DINNERS,"
inviting successful female leaders and executives to share their experiences on specific topics. This initiative not only provided valuable insights but also allowed other women to participate and benefit from these discussions.
By July 2018, Stacy transformed the community into a business. As the network expanded in 2019, she identified recurring challenges faced by members and began developing strategies to address them. This led to the creation of the “Pop-Up Mentor” model—a framework that helps individuals identify six types of mentors and three levels of mentorship necessary for career advancement and business growth. The model emphasizes that anyone can become an effective mentor with the right approach and relationship-building strategies.
In 2020, as the pandemic necessitated social distancing, the Pop-Up Mentor™ model became a valuable resource for companies transitioning to virtual mentorship. Organizations sought to implement it to support and develop underrepresented employees. The model was adopted by Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to aid female employees grappling with remote work challenges and was later embraced as part of diversity, inclusion, and equity initiatives.
Today, the Pink Mentor Network continues to innovate by helping organizations enhance their onboarding programs, create robust talent pipelines, and strengthen company culture through mentorship. The model is used in recruiting events to highlight existing leaders and sponsor the mentorship of potential employees.
Stacy is also helping companies utilize mentorship to build on executive legacy programs and succession plans, guiding leaders to mentor and develop the next generation of diverse talent within their organizations.
AWARDS
AWARDS
AWARDS
AWARDS
AWARDS
Charlotte Inno’s “Opportunity Champion” Award
Mecklenburg Times 2019 Phenom Acquisition
International’s Most Influential Mentorship Innovator - 2021
Meck Times 50 Most Influential Women
2021 Female Thought Leader - Business Services by the Stevie Awards™
Empowering Women in Industry - 2021 Mentor of the Year