“This is really about us investing and hopefully having these folks work at Verizon,” she said.
The decision to sunset the program comes 18 months after Scotti departed Verizon, though a Verizon spokesperson said changes to the program were “well underway” before new CMO Leslie Berland’s arrival in December.
But in May 2022, Verizon had planned to expand the program by increasing each cohort from 30 fellows to 250 fellows by 2026.
Verizon says DEI is still a priority
Schelling maintained that DEI is still a priority for Verizon, especially as many large companies retreat from commitments to underrepresented groups.
In 2025, Verizon plans to create a marketing track for its Verizon Leadership Development Program, a two-year rotational program for early-career employees transitioning into full-time roles at the company. Verizon said it plans to use learnings from adfellows for the new marketing track.
“The intent is to continue to focus on this space and grow it bigger,” Schelling said. “We are not abandoning the goals [or] the investment in diverse talent in advertising and marketing.”
