Palm Beach County Citizens Honored For Education Leadership

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Education Foundation of Palm Beach County and the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County today joined forces to present the inaugural Palm Beach County Education Leadership Awards.  This program recognizes contributions to education excellence in volunteerism, administration, community partnership and alumni achievement in Palm Beach County, Florida's top-performing urban school district.

Dwight E. Stephenson, NFL Hall-of-Famer and CEO/President of D. Stephenson Construction, delivered the keynote address. WPBF News 25 anchor Tiffany Kenney acted as host for today's awards ceremony at the Kravis Center.

Kelly Smallridge, President and CEO of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, said, "A strong educational system is critical to economic development, and Palm Beach County schools are well-positioned to supply talent for a growing pool of technology and S.T.E.M. jobs.  This is the latest step in our initiatives to recognize the excellent quality and breadth of education in Palm Beach County."

"We are extremely excited to partner with the Business Development Board for this important event," said Max Macon, Board Chairman of the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County. "It is an opportunity to share what our Foundation does with the business community – and to honor leaders, supporters and distinguished alumni of our Palm Beach County schools."

The 2015 recipients of Education Leadership Awards are:

• Distinguished Alumni Awards, honoring Palm Beach County graduates for contributions to their communities and professions, were presented to Clarence Anthony, Executive Director, National League of Cities; Michele Jacobs, Corporate Director of Marketing and Operations at The Forbes Company; and charitable activist Dari Bowman.

• Volunteer Leadership Award, honoring significant contributions made through volunteer work with the School District of Palm Beach County, was presented to Eagles Landing Middle School volunteer and PTSA president Kendra Palumbo.

• Superintendent's Outstanding Leadership Award, recognizing outstanding leadership and significant contributions to education by school administrators at the high school, middle school, elementary school and school district levels, was given to Mike Burke, Palm Beach County School District Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer.

• Partners in Education Excellence Award, to an individual or company demonstrating a commitment to working with schools to promote student achievement and educational excellence, went to Florida Power & Light Company.

Education Foundation of Palm Beach County

The Education Foundation of Palm Beach County is an independent, self-funded organization that fulfills unmet funding gaps of the School District of Palm Beach County through programs and grants that link and engage community leaders in the process of supporting public education.

Business Development Board of Palm Beach County

The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County is the official public/private economic development organization for Palm Beach County and Enterprise Florida.  Founded in 1982 as a not-for-profit corporation, its primary purpose is to attract and retain new industry, business investment, high quality jobs and workforce development through corporate relocations, expansions and international trade. During the past five years, the BDB has assisted companies that have created more than 12,650 direct jobs with average salaries greater than $62,900, resulting in more than $615 million in capital investment to Palm Beach.

The Business Development Board has created PBCedu.org in partnership with the School District of Palm Beach County, a consortium of the county's private, faith-based, and charter schools, area university presidents, educational and economic organizations, groups and individuals. This site provides easy access to data about the county's educational resources, and a portal to each school's Web site.  Additional information about the Business Development Board can be found at http://www.BDB.org.

SOURCE Business Development Board of Palm Beach County

Related Links

http://www.bdb.org