• America's best leaders to be saluted at 2006 Albert Schweitzer Leadership Awards Dinner. Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) to honor prominent leaders in business, litigation and technology.
NEW YORK, Nov. 9, 2006 -- This year Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) will honor a select group of individuals including Nasser Kazeminy, chairman of NJK Holding Corp. and chairman of the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO), and the Anthony Robbins Foundation at its annual Albert Schweitzer Leadership Awards Dinner on Nov. 13. The gala will be held at New York's elegant Gotham Hall with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner and award presentations at 7:30 p.m. The dinner benefits HOBY's international youth leadership programs.
Since 1985, HOBY has presented a select group of individuals and organizations with awards that recognize leadership in many diverse areas of human endeavor. The awards are presented to deserving men, women and organizations who have demonstrated superior leadership in business, philanthropy and the professions, and who have made notable contributions to youth. Past honorees have included President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, Mikhail and Raisa Gorbachev of Russia, Vice President and Mrs. Al Gore, U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State General Colin Powell, Jimmy and Gloria Stewart, Ted Turner, Bob and Dolores Hope, and Walter Cronkite, to name a few.
To recognize those who embody the most important traits of leadership, HOBY will bestow the coveted Albert Schweitzer Leadership Award, the highest honor given by HOBY, to Nasser Kazeminy, Chairman of NJK Holding Corporation and Chairman of the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO). Mr. Kazeminy has for many years been active in humanitarian and charitable causes benefiting children and orphanages, cancer treatment, drug rehabilitation and education, earning him the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1995 and the American Legends Award in 2001.
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The HOBY Corporate Citizen Award will be presented to Ecovation, Inc. and Diane C. Creel, President and CEO. Ms. Creel joined Ecovation in May of 2003 to lead the growth of the company from a startup entity to a full-service technology provider. Under her leadership, the company has expanded its technology offerings through acquisition and exclusive licensing agreements. Ecovation's wastewater treatment solutions provide environmental sustainability, offering positive environmental and economic impacts by eliminating less acceptable waste management methods, while providing renewable energy.
HOBY's Inspiration Award will be accepted by William Howell, Chair of the Anthony Robbins Foundation. For 15 years, the Foundation has empowered individuals and organizations across the globe to make a significant difference in the quality of life for people often forgotten by society, including the homeless and hungry, the children, the prison population, the elderly and the physically challenged. HOBY's Inspiration Award will also be bestowed upon Margaret H. Kavalaris, Partner at Cooley Godward LLP. Ms. Kavalaris is highly regarded for her expertise on technology, corporate finance, intellectual property, law firm management and women in leadership in law firms. Ms. Kavalaris, along with fellow honoree Diane Creel, are members of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Women's Leadership Board.
Additional honorees include HOBY's very own Drew Morrisroe, President and CEO of CTN Solutions, who will receive the HOBY Alumni Achievement Award. Ron Gillet, Vice Chairman of the HOBY Board of Trustees and Vice President of Underwriting for Countrywide Full Spectrum Lending Division, will be honored with the HOBY Volunteer of the Year Award for 20 years of exceptional service.
Award-winning, show-stopping singer and actress Jennifer Holliday will also perform during this gala event. Ms. Holliday achieved legendary status, garnering the 1982 Tony Award for Best Actress in a musical for her spine-tingling performance as Effie "Melody" White in Dreamgirls, and her first Grammy Award for Best R&B Female Vocal Performance for her signature torch-song and Top 40 hit "And I am Telling You I'm Not Going."
"With more than half of Americans not proud of their leaders today," asks HOBY's Chairman of the Board, Michael Specht, "will our generation invest in youth leadership programs to prepare young people for the challenges of the future? I believe HOBY is the cure for a national and international crisis in leadership, preparing and inspiring the youth of today to be independent-minded, ethical and compassionate leaders, dedicated to a life of service at home, in their community and abroad."
HOBY (www.hoby.org) was founded in 1958 by actor and humanitarian Hugh O'Brian with the mission to "provide lifelong leadership development opportunities that empower individuals to achieve their highest potential." For almost 50 years, O'Brian and HOBY have been promoting independent thinking among outstanding high school sophomores, motivating them to become effective, ethical leaders in their homes, schools and communities. Each year, more than 8,500 tenth graders, representing as many individual high schools, are nominated by their schools and attend one of HOBY's 70 leadership development seminars held throughout the United States and Canada.
HOBY's alumni total 355,000 and have come from all 50 states and more than 70 countries. The impact of HOBY has led to the institution of partnering programs in Mexico, Israel, Korea, Taiwan, China, Bolivia and our newest partner in Argentina. HOBY is driven by a national corps of 4,000 dedicated volunteers and enjoys the support of 25 cooperating organizations, including members of the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, American Red Cross, US Chamber of Commerce, Optimists International, the American Association of School Administrators, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, America's Promise, and The Points of Light Foundation.
The highlight of each year is the eight-day HOBY World Leadership Congress, a major international youth forum organized to celebrate diversity, debate ideologies and form friendships based on mutual respect and understanding. The program provides a real-world forum for the students to express themselves on issues of critical global significance such as conflict resolution, economic and political stability, world hunger, ethnic and religious tolerance, and the role of media in the world, so they may develop informed opinions on national and global issues.
All proceeds from the dinner support HOBY's national and international youth leadership programs. For more information on tickets or to support this event, please contact JFM 2 Productions at hoby@jfm2productions or call 914-235-1490
Ecovation (www.ecovation.com) provides value-driven, sustainable solutions to meet the wastewater management and renewable energy needs of industrial clients. Ecovation's customized wastewater treatment solutions include the patented Mobilized Film Technology (MFTSM), which provides superior treatment of high-strength organic wastes, as well as the Krofta Technologies' line of dissolved air flotation (DAF) and filtration (DAFF) treatment systems for solids removal. Based in Victor, NY, Ecovation has multiple facilities installed and operating for major Fortune 500 clients.
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Also see: "Ecovation Implements Wastewater Treatment Plant for CoolBrands International: Its Mobilized Film Technology produces renewable energy from the treatment of waste byproducts from dairy processing"
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