Chairman and CEO of Overstock.com Dr. Patrick M. Byrne Named Co-Chair of Friedman Foundation

    INDIANAPOLIS, July 21 /PRNewswire/ -- In a move that sends a clear
 signal to opponents of real and systemic education reform, the Friedman
 Foundation for Educational choice today announced that Dr. Patrick M. Byrne
 has been unanimously elected co-chairman of the board.
 
     "I think he is the right choice," said Dr. Rose D. Friedman, economist
 and co-founder of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. "Patrick
 will be loyal to the Friedman philosophy of school choice for all children,
 and I know he is anxious to get going."
 
     "I am deeply humbled to be appointed co-chairman of the Friedman
 Foundation for Educational Choice," said Dr. Byrne who joined the board in
 2006. "The Friedmans are heroes of individual liberty and I have been
 blessed to be both their fan and their friend. Working with them and
 carrying on their vision of educational freedom for all children is one of
 highest honors I could receive."
 
     A noted, well-recognized and passionate education reformer, Dr. Byrne
 has been involved in countless efforts to improve the quality of education
 that children in America and across the world receive. Internationally,
 Byrne has founded 19 schools around the world that have served over 7,000
 boys and girls since 2005. Moreover, Worldstock, an innovative division of
 Overstock.com that fosters micro-demand in developing countries, has given
 families from across the globe the power and opportunity to access better
 education for themselves and their children through the profits they earn
 from Worldstock.
 
     In the United States, Dr. Byrne's giving for education is well-known
 and respected. He has funded private school scholarships for low-income
 families in Utah and was the primary supporter of Utah's Referendum One, a
 campaign that pushed for Utah to become the first state in the nation to
 enact a universal school voucher program. In addition, he is the Founder of
 First Class Education, a unique effort to empower teachers by driving more
 dollars directly into the classroom.
 
     "With all he has done to improve education he is a natural fit with our
 Foundation and I am really excited about his involvement," said Robert C.
 Enlow, Executive Director and COO of the Friedman Foundation. "I can't wait
 to see what happens when you mix a reform aimed at radically restructuring
 American education with a reformer as dedicated and passionate as Dr.
 Byrne. It's going to be great ride."
 
     "This isn't your father's brand of school reform; we have an
 eight-track school system in a digital world," added Dr. Byrne. "As with so
 many things, Milton and Rose Friedman's ideas are right on target. The only
 way to improve K-12 education in America is to separate the government
 financing of education from the government administration of schools.
 Unless we restructure education in favor of children who attend schools
 instead of the adults who run schools, we will lose what remains of our
 competitive edge in the global economy."
 
     Dubbed "the nation's leading voucher advocates" by the Wall Street
 Journal, the Friedman Foundation is a non-profit organization established
 in 1996. The origins of the foundation lie in the Friedmans' long-standing
 concern about the serious deficiencies in America's elementary and
 secondary public schools. The best way to improve the quality of education
 is to enable all parents to have a truly free choice of the schools that
 their children attend. The Friedman Foundation works to build upon this
 vision, clarify its meaning to the general public and amplify the national
 call for true education reform through school choice.
 
     "When the Friedman Foundation started in 1996 there were five school
 voucher and tax credit programs operating in five states," noted Gordon St.
 Angelo, President and CEO of the Friedman Foundation for Educational
 Choice. "Today, after 12 years of our effective work to educate the public,
 there are 24 programs operating in 14 states and the District of Columbia.
 With Patrick on board I expect this number to skyrocket," added St. Angelo.
 
 
 

SOURCE Overstock.com