Posse Bay Area Director Leroy Foster.

Vanderbilt Alum, Army Veteran Leads Posse Bay Area

Summer 2015 | Bay Area

Leroy Foster makes Posse history in 2015 as the first program alumnus to become a director of one of Posse’s chapters. With a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University, a master’s from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, many years as a Posse staff member, and three years as a U.S. Army officer, Leroy is uniquely positioned to lead Posse’s 10th chapter in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“As director, I’m excited to help Posse Scholars from the Bay Area take advantage of the opportunities before them and reach their potential,” Leroy says.

Raised in Staten Island, New York, by his single mother, Leroy can vividly recall being overwhelmed with emotion when he told her he won the Posse Scholarship, following in the footsteps of his older brother. He credits his experience as a Scholar with helping him to see how much was possible for him to accomplish.

“Posse was a really important part of my undergraduate experience, particularly during my first year,” says Leroy. “Having support I knew I could rely on allowed me to venture out with more confidence.”

After graduating from Vanderbilt, Leroy served on the Posse staff for seven years in a variety of programmatic roles before heading to Harvard for a master’s in public policy. Intending to focus on education, Leroy instead became immersed in foreign policy and thought it was important for more people to volunteer for military service. He enlisted in the Army shortly after receiving his master’s, serving as a second lieutenant and an infantry platoon leader for three years before returning to Posse.

“When I learned that Posse was opening a new site, I knew this was an incredible opportunity to return to work that I really love,” says Leroy. “I’m proud of having played a role in helping hundreds of students make their way to and through college over the years.”