Women are out enrolling men in institutions of higher education as well as filling the staff ranks. Despite the growing presence of women on our campuses, they are not progressing to the topmost leadership roles. The purpose of this study is to identify how mentoring relationships prepare women staff in higher education as leaders. A gap exists in the knowledge community around staff development as leaders in higher education. This project contributes to the knowledge community around women staff development in higher education by exploring the research question: How does mentoring contribute to leadership and workforce development for women in higher education? A phenomenological study utilized semi-structured interviewing to examine the experiences of women staff across three higher education settings, four year universities, community colleges, and technical colleges. The data collected from these interviews were coded and analyzed for themes. Keywords: Higher Education, Staff Development, Women's Leadership, Mentorship