Cavaliers CEO Nic Barlage, Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla, Levi Strauss and Co. President Michelle Gass Among 2023 Hosts for Jeff Ubben Posse Fellows Program

New York, NY, July 27, 2023 --(PR.com)-- The Biden Administration, Cleveland Cavaliers CEO Nic Barlage, Levi Strauss and Co. President Michelle Gass, Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla and World Wildlife Fund President and CEO Carter Roberts are each hosting and mentoring a member of the seventh cohort of Jeff Ubben Posse Fellows this summer.

The Jeff Ubben Posse Fellows Program provides unique mentorship opportunities for high-achieving college students supported by The Posse Foundation, a college success and leadership development organization. The Ubben Posse Fellows Program selects Posse Scholars in their second year of college who have a 3.7 cumulative GPA or higher and show exceptional promise as leaders. Fellows receive a generous stipend and a summer internship with a leader in one of the following industries: arts, media, entertainment, STEM, law, government, education, nonprofit, business and finance.

The 2023 Jeff Ubben Posse Fellows are Posse Scholars who have achieved academic excellence and demonstrated exceptional leadership potential. Their summer mentorship pairings are:

Mayah Bourne (The George Washington University) from Posse Atlanta
with Cleveland Cavaliers, Rocket Mortgage Field House and Rock Entertainment Group CEO Nic Barlage

Ciaran Buitrago (Lehigh University) from Posse Bay Area
with World Wildlife Fund President and CEO Carter Roberts

Jenkins Darbney (Sewanee: The University of the South) from Posse D.C.
with Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla

Desaree Edwards (Wesleyan University) from Posse Veterans
with a special assignment at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Sheccid Rodriguez (Tulane University) from Posse Los Angeles
with Levi Strauss and Co. President Michelle Gass

The Posse Foundation launched the Jeff Ubben Fellows Program in 2017 in recognition of then ValueAct Capital CEO Jeff Ubben, who served as Posse’s board chair from 2007 to 2016. During his tenure, Ubben helped the organization establish 47 new college and university partnerships, double the number of recruitment cities, and build assets of nearly $80 million. 

Previous hosts have included the late U.S. Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis, Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky, The Office of the California Govenor Gavin Newsom, AMC Networks CEO Josh Sapan, Deloitte US CEO Joe Ucuzoglu, Travelers CEO Alan Schnitzer and Eli Lilly and Company Chairman and CEO David Ricks.

About The Posse Foundation 

Since 1989, The Posse Foundation has identified, recruited and trained more than 12,000 public high school students with extraordinary leadership and academic potential. These students—many of whom might have been overlooked by traditional college selection processes—have received more than $2 billion in full-tuition leadership scholarships from Posse’s partner colleges since the program’s inception. Posse extends to these students the opportunity to pursue personal and academic excellence by placing them in supportive, multicultural teams—Posses—of 10 students. Posse Scholars persist and graduate at a rate of 90 percent and make a visible difference on campus and throughout their professional careers.

For more about The Posse Foundation, visit www.possefoundation.org.