Several months into their positions, Evansville’s Orr Fellows are exceeding expectations and searching for the next group of young professionals to join the early career development program.
Though the Indianapolis Orr Fellowship chapter has been in operation for more than 20 years, Evansville’s inaugural cohort of 15 fellows started their two-year journey with a dozen businesses in June.
Evansville Region Director Ben Trockman said at least 17 partner companies have committed to hiring the 2026 class of fellows ahead of the application deadline, which is Sept. 26.
“Evansville has a unique benefit over any other region,” he said. “We’ll have a cohort of 15 to 20 as we move forward. So you have an interconnected group of friends. You’re not one of a hundred or a thousand high achievers working together.”
Trockman said the program is progressing well and putting the careers of the Evansville fellows “on warp speed.”
“These young people are continually impressing me with their energy, drive and motivation to be better every single day. To do more for not only Orr, but for their company,” he said. “They’ve become not only a cohort of fellows, but they’ve become friends, and it’s nice to see. They’re giving me hope for the future.”
‘Driven young people’
As the Evansville Orr Fellows share their work experiences with Trockman, they all have one thing in common: they want more.
“The fellows are driven young people, and they’re looking for more challenges. Whether that’s taking on a leadership role within the fellowship, doing more recruitment or helping schedule events and get us all together,” he said.
Kyra Ulrey is an Orr Fellow who has taken on additional responsibilities. She’s not only a digital marketing coordinator at Escalade Sports but also the director of recruitment for the Evansville fellowship.
“I never thought I’d come back to Evansville. But then the Orr Fellowship opened my eyes to how much business is in Evansville. I always like to say that you’re just one coffee chat away from talking to a CEO of a company,” said Ulrey. “It’s this key that opens the door in a different way because I carry this Orr Fellowship badge.”
Orr Fellow Abigail Hornacek is an external affairs specialist at CenterPoint Energy. Director of External Affairs Jenna Richardt explained how the young professional fits into the company.
“[Hornacek] graduated in finance. Her passion is in data analytics. We chose her out of all the ones we interviewed because we wanted that to be a strength in some of the stuff that we are working on, focusing on how we can make our own improvements internally. She’s become our special projects person,” Richardt said.
Partner company feedback
The response from partner companies participating in the Evansville Orr Fellowship has been nothing but positive, according to Trockman.
“They’ve all been pleased with the young talent that we have matched them with. Most of the time, I hear the words ‘impressed’ or ‘pleased’ from the companies that are currently involved. And many of them are signing up again for a fellow next year. That’s proof that what we’ve found and what we’re doing is a positive sign,” he said.
Richardt said since CenterPoint Energy is focused on economic development and attracting people to the community, Hornacek offers a unique perspective as an Ohio native.
“When we’re talking about a population growth strategy and being a young person, what are the things—moving here for the first time and not being from here—you look for in a community? Are you looking for partnerships? Are you looking for parks and playgrounds? Are you looking for places to eat?” said Richardt.
New partner companies for the 2026 Orr Fellowship class include United Companies, Orthopaedic Associates and Traylor Bros. Trockman expects a few more to join the next round.
“I go to new partner company meetings, and many times I bring a fellow along with me so I can share the background of the fellowship. But the fellow can sell it themselves and show how impressive and thoughtful they are,” he said. “Once we have the conversation, and once they meet a fellow, it’s self-explanatory. It’s a no-brainer for them. They just have to figure out on their end, ‘Alright, how do we make it work?’”
Recruiting 2026 fellows
While the Evansville Orr Fellowship has been successful so far, Trockman said creating awareness about the program in the region remains a struggle.
“Our biggest challenge as a new entity in the area is building our brand and getting people to know what Orr Fellowship is and what it does,” he said.
The Evansville Orr Fellows have been traveling to colleges across the region to encourage 2026 graduates to apply for the next cohort. They visited Southern Illinois University, University of Cincinnati, University of Kentucky and University of Evansville last week.
“A lot of the Orr Fellows are taking it upon themselves to do the recruitment and grow the program. My hope would be that more company partners come on, there’s more of a need and there are more spots to fill,” said Richardt.
Ulrey hopes about 250 people will apply before the September 26th deadline, with the field being narrowed down from there. Finalist day interviews in Evansville will be on December 4.
For college students who may be on the fence, Ulrey urges them to fill out an application even if they don’t think they’re typical candidates.
“We have a fellow who is an animal science major partnered with a bank. Anything can happen,” she said. “The first thing you can do is apply.”
Trockman insists the opportunity for an Orr Fellow to be paired with an Evansville company that wants to invest in young leaders is too good to pass up.
“You’re going to put yourself ahead in your career. You’re going to have a great group of young people surrounding you. You’re going to have access to leaders, and you’re going to have a strong company that you joined for the first two years of your career,” he said.