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MLB Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig, Former PGA America Executive Earnie Ellison and Civic Leader Jackie Herd-Barber to receive 2015 honors
MILWAUKEE, WIS. – The Fellowship Open today announced its honorees for 2015 are Major League Baseball Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig, former PGA America Executive Earnie Ellison and Civic Leader Jackie Herd-Barber.
Each year, the Fellowship Open honors individuals who have had a dramatic impact on the improvement of lives of people in America, with a particular focus on those who have created more opportunities for the nation’s youth. Past recipients include Vell Phillips, Frank Robinson, Henry Aaron, Herb Kohl, Willie Davis and Junior Bridgeman. The Fellowship Open is one of the nation’s largest community empowerment golf tournaments, attracting participants from more than 25 states.
“Bud Selig, Earnie Ellison and Jackie Herd-Barber are remarkable people who have demonstrated an amazing and sustained commitment to others,” said John W. Daniels, Jr., chairman of the Fellowship Open. “Bud’s extraordinary leadership and involvement in professional baseball and the Milwaukee community, as well as his dedication to helping young people succeed locally and nationally, is unparalled. Earnie’s contribution to helping develop awareness and opportunities for people of color, women, and the under-served to participate in the game and business of golf is unmatched. Jackie is a passionate social humanitarian and a consummate servant leader whose passion for creating educational opportunities for Milwaukee’s children and families is phenomenal.”
The Fellowship Open event will be held on Friday, August 14, at Silver Spring Country Club. For more information, please click here.
ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP OPEN
The Fellowship Open was founded more than a dozen years ago, by a group of business and civic leaders, to promote and inspire youngsters to pursue careers in business and to foster support for diversity and inclusion in the business community. The event’s list of honorary chairs features some of Milwaukee’s most prominent professionals in business, government, and civic affairs. Each year, its ranks have grown with individuals that bring
outstanding attributes and commitments to the community. Over the past 14 years, the Fellowship Open has contributed almost $1 million to youth organizations, involving more than 70 organizations throughout Wisconsin.
ABOUT BUD SELIG
Milwaukee native, Allan H. (Bud) Selig is the Commissioner Emeritus of Major League Baseball. As Commissioner Emeritus, Selig serves as a key adviser to MLB. Selig was named the ninth commissioner of baseball in 1998 by a unanimous vote of the 30 Major League Baseball club owners. Prior to his election as baseball’s commissioner, Selig served as chairman of the executive council, making him the central figure in Major League Baseball’s organizational structure dating back to September 9, 1992, and he has led the way toward implementation of many of the game’s structural changes. The former Milwaukee Brewers owner has received many significant honors for his accomplishments, philanthropy, and corporate citizenship in recent years. In March 2010, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, which aids academically distinguished minority students, presented him its Lifetime Achievement Award. In May 2010, the Taylor Hooton Foundation bestowed its inaugural Taylor’s Award to Selig for his impact on educating American youth on the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs. In August 2010, the Milwaukee Brewers unveiled a statue in Selig’s likeness outside Miller Park, honoring all of his efforts for his hometown and for his leadership of the Brewers and the game of baseball.
ABOUT EARNIE ELLISON
Earnie Ellison, Jr., is the managing partner of Ellison Consulting Group, LLC, a diversity and inclusion consultancy headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. His primary focus is to make diversity and inclusion essential within the sports industry while leveraging inclusion to create value for national sports organizations, their partners and customers. Formerly the PGA of America director of business and community relations, Earnie is widely recognized for his vanguard approach to creating a culture of diversity and inclusion within the world’s largest working sports organization. He also changed PGA’s community relations image by creating partnerships with organizations that primarliy focus on equality and inclusion for the disadvantaged. During his 17 years at the PGA of America, Ellison earned a reputation as a valuable diversity and community engaging resource for many PGA partners, golf associations and companies. Prior to the PGA, Earnie spent over 22 years in various financial managerial positions on both domestic and international assigments while working for IBM and Unisys Corporations. Earnie is a graduate of Alabama A&M University and is a much sought-after speaker on the subject of diversity within the sports arena. He has received several prestigous awards and honors in recognition of the contributions he has made within communities across the United States. Earnie is the 2014-2016 chairman elect for the United Way of Palm Beach County; treasurer for the Black Chamber of Commerce Palm Beach County; vice chairman for the First Tee of Palm Beach, Treasure Coast and Broward Counties; and serves on the National Diversity Advisory Council of the American Red Cross.
ABOUT JACQUELINE HERD-BARBER
Jacqueline is a 1984 graduate of the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), where she earned a degree in electrical engineering. While attending MSOE, Jacqueline co-founded the school’s National Society of Black Engineers/NTA chapter. After graduating, she began work as a sales engineer for Motorola, now known as Freescale Semiconductor. She retired in 2009, just shy of 25 years of employment. Prior to her retirement, Jacqueline held direct and indirect sales management positions at Motorola that included managing a variety of companies in Milwaukee, the Midwest, and globally. Jacqueline serves on several community and civic boards in Milwaukee: She currently serves as chair of the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts board; past chair of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee Urban League, MSOE Alumni Association and SaintA boards; and past president of the Rotary Club of Milwaukee. She is a board member of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, SaintA, the MSOE Corporation Board, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Foundation, St. Ann’s Center for Intergenerational Care, United Way of Greater Milwaukee, Urban Day School, COA Youth & Family Center, Federal Defender Services of Wisconsin, Children’s Hospital Foundation and the War Memorial. She also serves as co-chair of Milwaukee Succeeds, an initiative to improve the quality of education to every child in the city of Milwaukee. In addition to her other civic duties, Jacqueline spends significant time volunteering at the Metcalfe School.
