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.
