By Christina Compere-Minor
Florida A&M University (FAMU) Cheerleaders have secured a three-year partnership with the global hair care brand, Mielle Organics.
The $250,000 partnership includes product sampling, activations, social media campaigns and allows the FAMU cheer team to be brand ambassadors for the company.
Omar Goff, president of Mielle Organics and a 2004 School of Business and Industry (SBI) graduate, helped to establish the partnership.
“I loved everything about my time at FAMU, and this is a full circle moment to give back in this way,” said Goff. “We started the HBCU partnership journey at Howard University with the queens of the pool, and now we are here to partner with the queens of cheer.”
Brandi Tatum-Fedrick, head coach of the FAMU Cheerleaders and assistant vice president of Annual and Affinity Giving, also played a key role in establishing the partnership.
“It is great to have Rattlers in great places,” said Tatum-Fedrick. “We are super excited for Omar Goff’s commitment to his alma mater. In my 18 years of coaching, this is our first partnership, so I am excited for many more to come.”
This is the first hair care brand partnership for the FAMU Cheer team. Along with the CEO and COO of Mielle Organics, Melvin and Monique Rodriguez, the cheerleaders were surprised and excited when the announcement was made on Thursday afternoon.
“This brand is going to evolve FAMU Cheer,” said Ashlyn Boles, FAMU cheer co-captain. “It will allow us to step out of our comfort zone to say I can wear my natural hair, and I can rock my natural hair and look good while doing it.”
Mielle Organics is now a division of P&G Beauty and is still the fastest growing, Black-owned and founded natural hair care brand in the world.