Grant Helps HBCUs In Virginia

At a news conference to announce the grant today at the Virginia General Assembly Building, Verizon and Institute officials were joined by General Assembly members, representatives of Virginia's Historically Black Colleges and Universities, former U.S. Congressman J.C. Watts, and several members of the Emerging Leaders Program.

The Institute's Emerging Leaders Program partners with Virginia's five Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, Norfolk State University, Hampton University and St. Paul's College - to prepare campus leaders, recent graduates and young professionals for future success in the market place and the business community.

One of those emerging leaders is Darrian Mack, a recent graduate and former Student Government Association President of Hampton University. "The Gloucester Institute's Emerging Leaders Program has prepared me to look at the issues and challenges our generation faces with the confidence that real solutions are possible, and the wisdom and know how to actually execute those solutions," Mack said.

The Institute will use the Verizon Foundation grant to fund research and development and 10 Verizon Leadership Summits, involving approximately 300 emerging leaders over the next three years.

"Verizon's grant empowers us to impact more of our future leaders," said Kay Coles James, president of the Gloucester Institute. "The Emerging Leaders Program was created to identify, train, mentor, and launch the next generation of leaders our country needs today, and in the tumultuous and exciting days ahead."

Robert Woltz, Jr., president of Verizon Virginia, said, "The Emerging Leaders of the Gloucester Institute already have many of the tools they need to be successful. The Institute, through the Emerging Leaders Program, is training the next generation of leaders to use these leadership tools to produce solutions for tomorrow's challenges.

"We at Verizon clearly recognize the value of our investment in the Emerging Leaders Program and the future leaders it will train, cultivate and inspire," said Woltz.

About the Gloucester Institute:
The Gloucester Institute's mission is to develop and cultivate a society of future leaders and problem solvers, in addition to providing a place for decision makers to discuss and debate today's issues. The Emerging Leaders Program of The Gloucester Institute partners with Virginia's five Historically Black College and Universities - Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, Norfolk State University, Hampton University and St. Paul's College - to prepare their campus leaders for future success in the market place and the business community. Due to the success of the program, it has expanded to also serve recent college graduates and young professionals. For more information on the Institute, visitwww.gloucesterinstitute.org.

About the Verizon Foundation:
The Verizon Foundation supports the advancement of literacy and K-12 education through its free educational Web site, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence. In 2009, the Verizon Foundation awarded more than $67.5 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad. It also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in an additional $26.1 million in combined contributions to nonprofits. Through Verizon Volunteers, one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon employees and retirees have volunteered more than 5 million hours of community service since 2000. More than 1,000 nonprofit groups in Virginia received more than $4 million from the Verizon Foundation in 2009. For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.

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 CONTACT:

Martin Brown, Gloucester Institute
804-874-6706
mbrown@johnsonmarketing.com

Harry Mitchell, Verizon
304-344-7562
harry.j.mitchell@verizon.com