Yolanda’s commitment to empowering others at Cummins

"Mentoring is about sharing your time and experience to help others grow and succeed," says Yolanda D.

Yolanda’s career at Cummins Inc. is rooted in a journey of growth and empowerment, both for herself and others. She began her career at Cummins in 2022 as part of the Meritor acquisition then transitioned to Accelera by Cummins in 2023. As a program manager, Yolanda has overseen the design, development and production of ePowertrain products. Today, she’s focused on the launch of Accelera’s BP104E battery product for customers in North America.

Beyond her technical expertise, Yolanda’s passion for mentoring has shaped her journey at Cummins. "Mentoring always finds me," she says. It all started shortly after joining Cummins, where Yolanda connected with early-career employees through her involvement in community service, eventually leading her to mentor several interns. "It was a natural transition," Yolanda explains, "to begin talking to colleagues about their career goals and sharing tips I’ve used to grow my own career."

Her formal mentoring role at Cummins started when she joined the Cummins Black Network (CBN) Employee Resource Group and expressed her interest in becoming a mentor. She was recruited to mentor CBN summer interns, including her first Cummins mentee from East Carolina University, Luc, who was interning at the Jamestown, NY facility.

For Yolanda, mentoring isn’t just about offering advice—it’s about creating opportunities for others to grow. “Mentoring means giving back your time and talents to help others gain from your life experience,” she says. And Yolanda takes this responsibility seriously, seeing it as a way to build strong relationships and support employee engagement within Cummins. “Mentoring helps employees grow in the company culture, build career relationships and stay engaged with their work. It helps people succeed, and that’s what matters most.”

The most rewarding aspect of mentoring, Yolanda shares, is seeing her mentees succeed. "When I see them promoted or land new roles, it’s like a proud parent moment. But it’s even more fulfilling when they, in turn, become mentors themselves."

Mentoring is a two-way street, Yolanda adds, and it’s not only mentees who benefit. She explains that she’s gained valuable connections and insights from the people she mentors. “Mentoring is reciprocal,” she says. “I’ve been introduced to new opportunities and broadened my network through my mentees. It’s one of the many ways mentoring benefits both the mentor and the mentee.”

Cummins supports mentoring through various Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and community service initiatives, creating a network where employees can find guidance and build relationships across the company. "Cummins is a big company, with many leaders and departments, so finding a mentor is crucial to navigating your career here," Yolanda explains.

Mentoring plays a central role in Cummins’ company culture, helping with retention, career progression and employee engagement. “Mentoring helps people feel supported and more invested in the company’s success," says Yolanda. "It’s a great tool for developing the next class of leadership.”

Yolanda’s advice to new employees is simple: “Find a mentor early on. Don’t just show up and do your job—make sure you’re building relationships and learning from those around you.”

Looking ahead, Yolanda is excited to continue her mentoring journey and inspire the next generation of leaders at Cummins. She also plans to find a new mentor for herself, seeing it as an opportunity to further grow and expand her network. “Mentoring isn’t just for those early in their careers—it’s valuable at every stage,” Yolanda says.

For Yolanda, the beauty of mentoring lies in the shared growth, the mutual respect and the lasting connections it creates. “It’s about helping each other, learning from each other and succeeding together,” she says.

Yolanda’s commitment to mentoring is an example of how Cummins fosters a culture of empowerment, collaboration and continuous development. It’s a philosophy that has shaped her own career and is helping others find success at Cummins every day.