Foster-Youth Advocate Stacie Turner Named National Ambassador for American Humane Association

Extra-Ordinary Life Founder, Entrepreneur and Star of 'Real Housewives of D.C.' Teams Up With National Organization to Fight Abuse and Neglect

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Stacie Turner, successful Washington, D.C., entrepreneur and founder of Extra-Ordinary Life — a charity that provides educational and support services to teenage girls living in foster care — has been named an American Humane Association National Ambassador. In this role, Turner will speak, advocate and fundraise on behalf of American Humane Association, whose mission is to create a more humane and compassionate world by ending abuse and neglect of children and animals.

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Turner, known by many for another role — in the reality TV series "Real Housewives of D.C." on Bravo — is committed to helping youths in foster care deal with the often harsh realities of life and reach their potential through meaningful and inspirational experiences. A foster child herself, Turner was adopted as an infant by loving parents, but she identifies with the many kids and teens who grew up in foster care and were not as fortunate as she.

"I'm honored to serve as a National Ambassador for American Humane Association, an organization whose work and objectives are near and dear to my heart," Turner said. "We are both fighting to ensure that at-risk children have a safe environment to grow up in, that they receive the support they need to overcome challenges, and that they are given every opportunity to realize their full potential — to 'dream big' — and succeed in life."

"Stacie Turner's devotion to helping create a bright future for District of Columbia teens in foster care is inspiring," said American Humane Association President and Chief Executive Officer Robin R. Ganzert, Ph.D. "We are excited to have Stacie bring her passion, drive and energy to our team as we work together, at the local, state and national levels, on behalf of the most vulnerable members of society."

Turner, the founder and leader of Extra-Ordinary Life, was born into foster care in Washington, D.C., and was adopted at 6 months old by loving parents who provided a nurturing childhood, a stable home life, and exposure to people, education and travel, which instilled in her a strong self-image and a drive to achieve. She seeks to shift the paradigm of adolescent children in foster care from the extraordinarily tragic to the extraordinarily positive — and help them forge a path towards achievement despite obstacles. Turner earned an undergraduate degree in finance from Howard University and an M.B.A. from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business. She has held positions in marketing and management with a number of large corporations, including Procter & Gamble, the Sprint Corporation and BET Networks. Subsequently, she formed two successful ventures —a strategic marketing consulting firm called The Turner Group and a real estate sales and development firm, Brickstone Ventures.

About American Humane Association

Since 1877, the historic American Humane Association has been at the forefront of virtually every major advance in protecting children, pets and farm animals from cruelty, abuse and neglect. Today we're also leading the way in understanding human-animal interaction and its role in society. As the nation's voice for the protection of children and animals, American Humane Association reaches millions of people every day through groundbreaking research, education, training and services that span a wide network of organizations, agencies and businesses. You can help make a difference, too. Visit American Humane Association at www.americanhumane.org today.

SOURCE American Humane Association