Dominion to Honor Nine Leaders in 19th Annual Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership Educational Series

January 22, 2009

 

 

RICHMOND, Va. - Dominion, one of the nation’s largest energy producers, today will honor nine prominent African-Americans selected for their accomplishments and leadership through its 19th annual Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership educational series.

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine will be one of the speakers at the awards gala Thursday at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Richmond.

"Preparing our youth for the challenges and opportunities of adulthood is vital to our future well-being," said Thomas F. Farrell II, Dominion chairman, president and chief executive officer. "The leaders we honor have set examples of leadership, integrity and citizenship, and it is Dominion’s honor to recognize these outstanding individuals."

 

The 2009 honorees are:

  • Sister Cora Marie Billings, RSM, first African-American nun pastoral coordinator in United States, Richmond, Va.

     
  • Matthew Guidry, Ph.D., retired deputy director-External Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Upper Marlboro, Md.

     
  • Rear Admiral Michelle J. Howard, first African-American woman to command a U.S. naval ship, Springfield, Va.

     
  • Leland D. Melvin, U.S. astronaut, Shuttle Atlantis, Lynchburg, Va.

     
  • Eddie N. Moore Jr., twelfth president of Virginia State University, first African-American treasurer of Virginia, Petersburg, Va.

     
  • *Frederick R. Nance, regional managing partner, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, Cleveland, Ohio

     
  • *The Honorable Vel R. Phillips, first woman and first African-American Wisconsin secretary of state, Milwaukee, Wis.

     
  • Dianne Reynolds-Cane, M.D., first African-American woman president of the Virginia Board of Medicine, Richmond, Va.

     
  • *The Honorable Michael R. White, longest-serving mayor of Cleveland, Ohio

*Attending the Cleveland, Ohio, ceremony Feb. 5.

High school juniors and seniors in North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia participated in the Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership student writing contest. The students were invited to write essays about an African-American leader featured in the Strong Men & Women series. Winners receive a laptop, and their schools each receive a $1,000 cash award.

This year’s essay winners are:

  • Catherine Dominic
    SuccessTech Academy
    Cleveland, Ohio

     
  • Katharine Kelley
    Sebring McKinley High School
    Sebring, Ohio

     
  • Zachary B. Miller
    Buckeye High School
    Medina, Ohio

     
  • Krupa Patel
    Frank W. Cox High School
    Virginia Beach, Va.

     
  • Grace Segars
    Grace Christian High School
    Staunton, Va.

     
  • Risham Tariq
    J.E.B. Stuart High School
    Fairfax County, Va.

     
  • Tasha Tucker
    Lloyd C. Bird High School
    Chesterfield, Va.

More information about Strong Men & Women can be found on at www.dom.com, keyword “strong.” A graphic image of the individuals being honored is available at http://www.dom.com/about/education/strong/2009/images/2009_lg.jpg.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 27,000 megawatts of generation. Dominion serves retail energy customers in 12 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com.

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Editor's note: Biographies of the honorees will be available at the awards ceremony. Video b-roll, interviews and media kits will be on hand; a downloadable image of the honorees’ portrait is available at www.dom.com; and photographs will be available after Jan. 22.

 

CONTACTS:    
Media:

Daisy Pridgen, (804) 771-6115

Strong Men & Women highlights the accomplishments of selected African-American role models and tells their stories in an educational series distributed in February during Black History Month. More than 20,000 sets of learning materials are sent to schools and libraries in northeastern North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.