Ron Brown Scholar Program Host 2009 Selection Weekend

15 of 10,000+ Applicants Interview for Prestigious African-American Scholar Program

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., March 19 /PRNewswire/ — The Ron Brown Scholar Program, the nation’s leading scholarship program for African-American youth, will convene its 13th Selection Weekend Program in Washington this week, co-sponsored by the law firm of DLA Piper and Verizon Business.

Founded by Anthony M. Pilaro in 1996 and named in honor of the first African-American Secretary of Commerce, the Ron Brown Scholar Program provides students with the financial resources to attend some of the finest colleges and universities in the country, in addition to promoting outstanding service opportunities for the next generation of promising African-American leaders. The Ron Brown Scholar Program annually awards ten to twenty $40,000 college scholarships to extraordinary African-American high school seniors. No restrictions are placed on the students’ choices of school or discipline. Since 1997, the Program has awarded 241 scholarships, with Scholars studying at colleges and universities across the United States. Scholars’ interests range from medicine to public policy, from the creative arts to business.

Competition for the yearly slots is intense. The number of applications has grown to more than 10,000 this year. Applications are reviewed at the Program’s headquarters in Charlottesville, Virginia by staff and a cadre of expert volunteers. After surviving numerous rounds of screenings, finalists are invited to Washington, D.C., for a series of interviews with the Ron Brown Scholar National Selection Committee.

“I am continually impressed by the thousands of students who apply to become Ron Brown Scholars,” said Michael Mallory, executive director of the Ron Brown Scholar Program. “This year’s group of finalists is one of our strongest classes ever, with more than half scheduled to graduate in the top one or two percent of their class. These gifted young people all bring unique backgrounds and personal experiences to the Program but all share spectacular achievements in academics and a profound commitment to using their education experiences for the benefit of their communities and society as a whole.”

DLA Piper joins the Ron Brown Scholar program for the second year, serving as a Selection Weekend sponsor. DLA Piper has partnered with the Ron Brown Scholar Program to provide internship opportunities for Ron Brown Scholars each year in DLA Piper offices around the country. Through the partnership, the firm invests in the pipeline of college-age and early law school African-American prospects, so that the pool of diverse candidates is increased significantly. Ron Brown Scholars who intern at DLA Piper are college graduates who spend the year or months prior to their first year of law school gaining practical and educational experience at the firm.

Guy Flynn, the DLA Piper partner who helped develop the firm’s collaboration with the Ron Brown Scholar Program, said, “This is an amazing program that has really fostered the next generation of brilliant young African American business and civic leaders, and we’re thrilled to be a part of that. We are pleased to participate once again as a Selection Weekend sponsor.”

Verizon Business has partnered with the Ron Brown Scholar Program for several years, most recently as the title sponsor of the summer 2008 Triennial Leadership Conference hosted in Charlottesville, Va. The company has also partnered through the Ron Brown Scholar Read to Lead Program, a teaching program designed to inspire young people to a lifetime dedicated to leadership and literacy.

“Verizon Business’ partnership with the Ron Brown Scholar Program creates a unique opportunity for our community ambassadors around the U.S. to offer innovative ways to inspire youth to excellence. Over the years Verizon Business employees and Ron Brown Scholars have engaged hundreds of students, through the Read to Lead Program, in activities that promote literacy, leadership and demonstrate the impact of community service,” said Robert Toohey, senior vice president of human resources for Verizon Business.

Michael Mallory, executive director of the Ron Brown Scholar Program, said: “The Ron Brown Scholar Program is thrilled to have DLA Piper and Verizon Business on board as sponsors and applauds their passion for helping youth around the country excel academically so they may in turn help others succeed.”

The Program will announce its 2009 scholarship recipients on Monday, March 23, 2009. Additional information on the Ron Brown Scholar Program is available at www.ronbrown.org.

About the Ron Brown Scholar Program

Named for the late Secretary of Commerce and inspired by his dedication to public service, the Ron Brown Scholar Program was established in 1996 by the CAP Charitable Foundation to provide academic scholarships, service opportunities and leadership experiences for young African Americans of outstanding promise. The Program seeks to accelerate their progress into the mainstream of leadership positions in business, education, government and a wide spectrum of professions, while instilling a dedication to leadership and service.

About DLA Piper

DLA Piper became one of the largest legal service providers in the world in 2005 through a merger of unprecedented scope in the legal sector. While large in scale, the merger strategy was simple — to create a global organization capable of taking care of the most important legal needs of clients wherever they do business. With Frank Burch as Chairman of its Global Board, DLA Piper today has nearly 4,000 lawyers in more than 65 offices in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. They represent more clients in a broader range of geographies and practice disciplines than virtually any law firm in the world.

About Verizon Business

Verizon Business is a global leader in communications and IT solutions. We combine professional expertise with the world’s most connected IP network to deliver award-winning communications, IT, information security and network solutions. We securely connect today’s extended enterprises of widespread and mobile customers, partners, suppliers and employees – enabling them to increase productivity and efficiency and help preserve the environment. Many of the world’s largest businesses and governments — including 96 percent of the Fortune 1000 and thousands of government agencies and educational institutions — rely on our professional and managed services and network technologies to accelerate their business. Find out more at www.verizonbusiness.com.

SOURCE The Ron Brown Scholar Program