CLEVELAND, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dominion East Ohio, one of the nation's largest energy producers, will today honor the nation's first African-American President and First Lady for their accomplishments and leadership through its 9th annual Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership educational series.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will be recognized during the company's 9th annual Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership educational series to be held at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Cleveland at 11:30 a.m.  President and Mrs. Obama will be honored in absentia. Ohio's First Lady Frances Strickland will bring remarks. Mr. Ted Ginn Sr. executive director of The Ginn Academy will be the featured speaker.

Dominion East Ohio will also recognize three Ohio high school student essay-writing contest winners who will read their winning essays during today's event. Northeast Ohio area juniors and seniors are invited to write essays about one of the Strong Men & Women honorees. Winners will receive a laptop computer, and their schools will each receive a $1,000 cash award.

This year's essay winners are:

• Demar P. Tabb, senior, Success Tech Academy, Cleveland, Ohio
• Nolan Alexander, senior, Boardman High School, Boardman, Ohio
• Lauren Bosner,  senior, Waterford High School, Waterford, Ohio

 "The 2008 presidential election marked the beginning of a new chapter in our nation's history," said Anne E. Bomar, senior vice president and general manager.  "In choosing Barack Obama as president, the American people broke down old barriers and demonstrated the growing importance of diversity and inclusion in our society.  

"Dominion is proud to sponsor this popular series as part of our commitment to excellence in education," Bomar said. "If, after being exposed to the compelling life stories contained in the Strong Men and Women materials, young people are motivated to say, 'I can do that, too,' we know we have hit the mark.  We have planted a seed of hope and belief in a future full of possibility."

Strong Men & Women highlights the accomplishments of selected African-Americans and tells their stories in an educational series distributed each year during Black History Month. In addition, high school juniors and seniors in five states each year are invited to participate in the Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership student writing contest.  

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of more than 27,500 megawatts of generation. Dominion operates the nation's largest natural gas storage system and serves retail energy customers in 12 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com

SOURCE Dominion East Ohio