Dominion to Honor Four Leaders in 8th Annual Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership Educational Series

CLEVELAND, Feb. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Dominion, one of the nation’s largest energy producers, today honored four prominent African-Americans selected for their accomplishments and leadership through its 8th annual Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership educational series. The event took place at the Cleveland Marriott in downtown Cleveland during a luncheon program.

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.

The 2009 honorees recognized locally were:

• Leland D. Melvin,* U.S. astronaut, Shuttle Atlantis, Lynchburg, 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.
• The Honorable Michael R. White,* longest-serving mayor of Cleveland, Ohio

*accepting via videotape.

Other 2009 Strong Men & Women recently honored in Richmond were:

• 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.
• Eddie N. Moore Jr., twelfth president of Virginia State University, first African-American treasurer of Virginia, Petersburg, Va.
• Dianne Reynolds-Cane, M.D., first African-American woman president of the Virginia Board of Medicine, Richmond, Va.

Northeast Ohio high school juniors and seniors also 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

“Preparing our youth for the challenges and opportunities of adulthood is vital to our future well-being,” said Bruce C. Klink, president, Dominion East Ohio. “The leaders we honor have set examples of leadership, integrity and citizenship, and it is Dominion’s honor to recognize these outstanding individuals.”

More information about Strong Men & Women can be found 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.

SOURCE Dominion East Ohio