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Dominion Honors Three in 6th Annual 'Strong Men & Women' Educational Series

Posted on: Thursday, 8 February 2007, 09:00 CST

CLEVELAND, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 6th consecutive year, three prominent African Americans selected for their accomplishments and leadership will be honored by Dominion through its "Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership" educational series.

This year's recipients will be honored at an awards ceremony today at 11:30 a.m., at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center.

"Strong Men & Women" highlights the accomplishments of selected African- American role models and converts their stories into an educational series distributed during Black History Month to more than 12,000 schools across Dominion's natural gas and electric franchise service areas in Virginia, northeastern North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

"These outstanding individuals all became leaders in their chosen fields through desire and determination," said Thomas F. Farrell II, president and chief executive officer. "Their impressive achievements demonstrate excellence in action. We honor them because they are extraordinary role models for our youth."

The 2007 honorees being recognized locally are: -- Dawn Staley -- renowned player of the Women's National Basketball Association and All-American at the University of Virginia, Philadelphia, Pa. -- Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton -- president of Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, Ohio. -- Dwight L. Williams -- first African-American "National Young Engineer of the Year" for the National Society of Professional Engineers, Laurel, Md.

African-American high school students participated in the "Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership" student essay-writing contest. In September, seniors were invited to write essays about an African-American leader featured in the "Strong Men & Women" series. Winners receive a Dell laptop computer and their schools each receive a $1,000 cash award.

This year's essay winners are: -- Arthur Whitthorne, Collinwood High School -- Sarah Williams, East High School

Other 2007 "Strong Men & Women" honorees recognized at a reception in Virginia were:

-- Billy K. Cannaday Jr. -- Virginia's first African-American superintendent of public instruction, Richmond, Va. -- Paul B. Higginbotham -- first African-American on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Madison, Wis. -- Sheila C. Johnson -- philanthropist, entrepreneur and CEO of Salamander Hospitality, The Plains, Va. -- Charles F. Lovell Jr. -- first African-American president of the Virginia Board of Medicine, Norfolk, Va. -- Marc H. Morial -- president and CEO of the National Urban League, New York -- Blair Underwood -- television and motion picture actor and producer, native of Petersburg, Va., Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Information about "Strong Men & Women" can be found on the Internet at http://www.dom.com/, keyword "strong."

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a portfolio of about 28,000 megawatts of generation, about 6.6 trillion cubic feet equivalent of proved natural gas reserves and 7,800 miles of natural gas transmission pipeline. Dominion also operates one of the nation's largest underground natural gas storage systems and serves retail energy customers in 11 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com/.

Dominion

CONTACT: Tracy Oliver, +1-216-736-6219, or Jeff Zidonis,+1-216-736-6228, or Neil Durbin, +1-216-736-6239, all of Dominion

Web site: http://www.dom.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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