Who we are
Founded in 1963 during the Civil Rights Movement, SEO is committed to closing educational and career opportunity gaps for motivated young people. SEO provides resources, mentorship, and opportunities for talented individuals to achieve greatness, no matter their background.
Our Mission & Impact
SEO closes educational and career opportunity gaps for 7,000+ ambitious young people annually. We focus on turning untapped potential into newfound greatness by providing academic and professional opportunities that change lives. All are welcome to apply.
“I was very moved by how John’s and Gerald’s lives changed because of the scholarship but also how so many lives around them were changed. As a result of their going to college many young people decided that they too should go on to college. I kept thinking about starting a program similar to that one. Three or four years after getting out of school we started it. The goals were very simple. It was a mentoring program to help high school kids to do better in high school; secondly, to help kids go on to college; and lastly, on to a career ”
Michael Osheowitz
A Legacy of Empowerment
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SEO founded
Driven by a belief in equity and the transformative power of education, Michael Osheowitz found inspiration in scholarship recipients John Halpin and Gerald Noonan. In December 1963, he gathered them and other friends around his kitchen table on East 68th Street—and launched a movement to close the opportunity gap.
SEO non-profit incorporation
After eighteen months of successfully matching volunteer mentors with low-income and underserved high school students, Michael and his friends incorporate their new organization, Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, and receive nonprofit status from the IRS.
First staff members
On a volunteer basis, Julius “Julie” Chodorow becomes SEO’s first Executive Director in 1968.
In 1974, SEO moves into a brownstone at 126 E. 31st St. owned by the Edwin Gould Foundation.
After 12 years as an all-volunteer organization, SEO hires its first paid staff member, alumnus
Bruce Gill, in 1975 to serve as Executive Director. Michael initiates his vision for an all alumni Board of Directors.
SEO Career launch
Michael expands his vision to Wall Street and founds SEO Career, launching with 11 college students placed in internships at 5 partner firms: Goldman Sachs, First Boston, Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, and Salomon Brothers.
Time of transition
The early 1980s were a time of transition for SEO. In 1982, Maria Osheowitz serves as interim Executive Director until Cynthia “Cindy” Rivera Weissblum is promoted in 1984. Cindy goes on to lead SEO for 17 years.
SEO Law launch
Seeing more untapped opportunity, SEO alumnus Milton Williams launches the Corporate Law Program under the umbrella of SEO Career.
Alumnus Chairman of the Board
SEO alumnus Walter Booker succeeds Michael as Chairman of the Board, a position he would hold for 18 years.
President & CEO
William Goodloe joins SEO as President & CEO.
SEO alumnus, Andrew Fairbairn, with support from fellow alumni Randolph Sesson and Mutuma Marangu, opens the first international affiliate, SEO London.
SEO Scholars reimagined
William Goodloe and Julian Johnson, Executive Vice President, lead a reimagination of the founding high school program to focus on supplemental education. The new approach is rebranded SEO Scholars with a mission to transform NYC public high school students into college graduates.
Move to 55 Exchange Place
Diego Recalde, SEO alumnus and Board Member, leads a real estate initiative to consolidate SEO’s three offices into a new headquarters at 55 Exchange Place, fully funded through a Capital Campaign led by Stan O’Neal, CEO of Merrill Lynch. The Edwin Gould Foundation also purchases space in the building.
SEO Scholars expands to include SEO College Scholars, a college success model that turns SEO Scholars into college graduates.
SEO alumnus Tom Tsao founds SEO China.
Four star Charity Navigator rating
SEO receives its first four-star rating in Charity Navigator, a recognition that SEO has continued to consistently receive.
SEO Alternative Investments launch
Cofounded by KKR and TPG Capital, SEO Alternative Investments is launched, and SEO hosts its first AICON conference.
SEO alumni Tony Ngo and Napoleon Ta start an SEO affiliate in Vietnam.
SEO Scholars San Francisco launch
SEO alumnus Adam Karr founds the first expansion of SEO Scholars to a new city, launching in San Francisco with 24 students.
SEO 50th anniversary and SEO Scholars expansion
SEO celebrates its 50th anniversary raising $6.4 million at the Annual Awards Dinner and announces a campaign to double the size of SEO Scholars New York from 125 to 250 students per incoming 9th grade class.
SEO alumni Edgar Seah and Kwabena Amporful found SEO Africa.
Chairman of the Board
Henry R. Kravis, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of KKR, is elected Chairman of the SEO Board of Directors.
Policy Studies Associates’ independent evaluation confirms SEO Scholars eliminates the SAT
gap for public high school students.
SEO Leadership Institute & SEO Tech Developer launch
Under the leadership of Julian Johnson, SEO launches two new programs. SEO Leadership Institute provides professional development, networking opportunities, and civic engagement for thousands of SEO alumni. Its first initiative, SEO Protégé, founded by SEO Board Member Joseph J. Plumeri II, pairs young professionals with senior-level advisors.
SEO Tech Developer, supported by The Hg Foundation, starts with an initial cohort of 45 students and prepares students to enter the tech industry.
SEO Scholars North Carolina launch
As a result of the pandemic, SEO Scholars adapts and successfully adds online classes. This development leads to a unique partnership with local nonprofit, shifted, and the launch of SEO Scholars North Carolina using a new hybrid model.
SEO Scholars Miami launch
SEO Board Member Orlando Bravo, joined by Henry R. Kravis and Ken Griffin, founds a new SEO Scholars site in Miami. Inspired by the North Carolina hybrid model, SEO Scholars Miami launches with an initial class of 52 students.
Growth milestone
SEO receives its 15th four-star rating in Charity Navigator. It also has more than 7,000 participants in six programs, more than 300 corporate partners, and 26,000 alumni around the world.
SEO completes a major renovation of its New York Office, incorporating 12,000 square feet of office space donated by the Edwin Gould Foundation.
Our Leadership
Our hard-working team members are the most talented in the industry, and our boards include some of the most prestigious executives in the country.
Legacy: Alumni
Our founder, Michael Osheowitz, often said, “It’s not about you, it’s about those who came before you and after you.” That’s why our alumni network is one of the strongest benefits of going through an SEO program. Our 26,000+ alumni cross nearly all industries and continents. They’re CEOs and senators, judges and district attorneys, philanthropists and trailblazers, board members and financial giants. And all of them carry the legacy of giving and paying it forward with them.
Flagship Partner
The Andrew Golkin Memorial Scholarship Fund (AGMSF) at SEO was started in memory of Andrew Golkin by his friends and family who lost him on September 11, 2001.
The Andrew Golkin Memorial Scholarship Fund helps to support a number of highly motivated students that have overcome the odds by graduating from a NYC public high school and are working hard to excel at college.
Our Affiliates
SEO alumni truly embody SEO’s principle, “it’s not about you; it’s about those who came before you, and those who will come after you.” SEO is proud to have the following alumni-founded affiliates around the globe:
Trusted by the most reputable organizations
Donate to SEO with Confidence
Charity Navigator has awarded us a four-star rating — its highest possible — 15 times. Our rating speaks to our fiscal responsibility, transparency, and measurable impact, helping thousands of young people on their path to college and career success.
Because of our level of financial stability and accountability, charitable givers and social investors can feel more confident in supporting SEO and the level of impact their contribution will have.
Learn about our accolades below and see how far your contribution can go to help propel human potential.
SEO earned the GuideStar Exchange Seal, demonstrating our commitment to transparency.
An independent study proves that SEO Scholars successfully closes the achievement gap. Program participants either outscored or matched all national test-takers on the SAT composite score, including white test-takers, test-takers of the same GPA band, and test-takers of the same ethnicity. Additionally Scholars graduate at consistently higher rates than their peers.
News & Insights
Stay on top of what is happening around the company.
