Steve Mariotti Honored With Lifetime Achievement Award at Future of Entrepreneurship Education Summit

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Extreme Entrepreneurship Education Corp. has honored Steve Mariotti with its Lifetime Achievement Award for his vision and contributions to helping at-risk students achieve successful futures through entrepreneurship education.  Mariotti was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the recent Future of Entrepreneurship Education Summit at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Considered one of today's leading experts in education for at-risk youth, Mariotti changed career paths in 1982 when he decided to move from the corporate sector and become a special education teacher in the New York City school system. While teaching in this hard-hitting environment for six years, Mariotti gained insight into how to successfully motivate his tough students – teaching them how to run businesses. His perceptions inspired him to create a program to bring entrepreneurship education to low-income youth, and in 1987, he founded NFTE to inspire young people from low-income communities to pursue educational opportunities, start their own businesses and succeed in life. Twenty-four years later, NFTE has reached over 330,000 young people since its founding and has programs in 21 states and 9 other countries.

"In today's highly competitive global economy, we're reminded of the importance of education and having the skills to create opportunities for ourselves to move forward. Steve's passion for enabling young people to succeed through entrepreneurship education is a testament to the American dream that if you work hard and believe in your ideas, you can succeed in life," said Amy Rosen, president and CEO of NFTE.

Mariotti is the recipient of numerous awards including an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the Bernard A. Goldhirsh Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award and the National Director's Entrepreneurship Award from the Minority Business Development Agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. He has also been the subject of many national media profiles on programs including ABC's World News and 20/20. In addition, he is the co-author of 28 books on entrepreneurship that have sold over one million copies.

Mariotti has attended The World Economic Forum and has been a frequent speaker at its Annual Meeting in Davos, as well as other business forums. He received his B.B.A. in business economics and his M.B.A. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He has also studied at Harvard University, Stanford University and Brooklyn College.

About the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship

Too many young people today drop out of school and struggle to break the cycle of poverty. Since 1987, the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) has been inspiring young people to pursue educational opportunities, start their own businesses, and succeed in life. By providing entrepreneurship education programs relevant to the real world, NFTE empowers students to own their educations in and out of the classroom and to find their own path to success. Hundreds of thousands of students have discovered opportunity all around them through entrepreneurship via thousands of certified educators worldwide. NFTE supports active programs in 21 states and 10 other countries through our network of program offices and licensed partners. Entrepreneurs are a powerful driver of economic growth and NFTE sows the seeds of innovation in students worldwide. For more information, visit www.nfte.com.

About the Extreme Entrepreneurship Education Corporation

The Extreme Entrepreneurship Education (EEEC) is a New York based media and education company dedicated to helping college students plan, prioritize, and pursue their own vision in life by utilizing the entrepreneurial mindset. Their books, road tour and speaking engagements all focus on the objective of providing students the tools and inspiration they need to create a life of passion, purpose and prosperity. For more information, visit http://www.extremee.org/index.html.

SOURCE Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship