SEO Celebrates 53 Years of Matching Talent with Opportunity
Robert J. McCann of UBS Among Honorees at SEO’s 13th
Annual Awards Dinner
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#KKR–Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) hosted its 13th
Annual Awards Dinner on Wednesday, April 20, 2016 at the Waldorf
Astoria in Manhattan. SEO was pleased to welcome almost 1000 guests to
raise funds for our key programs.
The evening showcased SEO’s founding program, SEO Scholars, our eight
year academic program that gets underserved public high school students
to and through college. Six Scholars were invited to the stage to share
their stories as representatives of the program. SEO also honored three
leaders in the fields of banking, education and public service: Robert
J. McCann, Chairman Americas at UBS, Congresswoman and SEO
Career Alumna Terri A. Sewell, and Arne Duncan, Former
U.S. Secretary of Education. The dinner chair was Kenneth
B. Mehlman, Member, KKR.
In addition to SEO Scholars, SEO is comprised of two other distinct
programs – SEO Career and SEO Alternative Investments. Both aim to
achieve greater diversity and inclusion in the workforce by providing
access to careers in high-level business sectors for those who have been
traditionally underrepresented.
“The goal of SEO remains what it’s always been since its inception in
1963 – to demonstrate that ethnic background and socio-economic status
do not pre-determine a young person’s future,” said William Goodloe,
President and CEO of SEO.
“SEO doesn’t just reduce the achievement gap. It eliminates it entirely.
SEO identifies and stimulates the talents, power and tools that reside
in each SEO student, teaching them there are no limits to their
achievement,” said Kenneth Mehlman, Member, KKR, and Chairman of the
Awards Dinner.
“Since becoming Chairman of SEO’s Board of Directors, I’ve continued to
be inspired by the determination of the young people we serve. Having
several SEO alumni at KKR, I know firsthand the power of this great
organization and the tremendous talent that SEO unleashes,” said Henry
R. Kravis, Founding Partner KKR “Our institutions benefit when SEO
alumni join our ranks and as a result, our organizations – and
ultimately society – are stronger and more successful.”
“As a first-generation college graduate, I know that my education set me
on the right path to reaching my goals, so UBS’s partnership with SEO is
a source of great pride for me,” said Bob McCann, Chairman UBS Americas.
“Through UBS
NextGen Leaders, our organizations are working together to provide
support and access that will help today’s students achieve lifelong
success. Similarly, through SEO Career, we are helping undergrads as
they make the leap from academic studies to professional careers, all
while strengthening UBS by bringing talented people with diverse
perspectives into our firm.”
“I still look forward to a time when ambition and intelligence alone
will determine who succeeds in America,” said SEO Founder & Chairman
Emeritus Michael Osheowitz. “Until then, I trust that SEO will continue
to open doors for deserving young people, and that those whose lives
have been touched by SEO will light a pathway of success for others.”
Since 1963, SEO has provided educational and career opportunities to
over 11,000 young people from underserved and underrepresented
communities, breaking barriers both in higher education and the
corporate world.
About Sponsors for Educational Opportunity
SEO was founded in 1963 with a mission to provide talented and motivated
young people from underserved and underrepresented communities with
access to superior educational and career opportunities. Today, SEO runs
three programs: SEO
Scholars is an eight-year academic program that gets low-income
public high school students to and through college—with a 95% college
graduation rate; SEO
Career is a summer internship and professional development program
targeting talented Black, Hispanic, and Native American undergrads and
pre-law school candidates—with over 85% of 2015 interns receiving
full-time job offers; SEO
Alternative Investments provides education, exposure, training and
mentoring opportunities to talented professionals traditionally
underrepresented in the alternative investments sector. 90% of AI
Fellows have secured jobs in the alternative investments sector. For
more information, visit www.seo-usa.org.
We are happy to coordinate interviews with our honorees, members of
SEO’s executive team. For media inquiries or media passes to this event,
please contact Julian Johnson at SEO.
Contacts
Media:
Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO)
Julian
Johnson, 646-435-9572
Executive Vice President
SEO Scholars,
SEO Career, SEO Alternative Investments
jjohnson@seo-usa.org
www.seo-usa.org
