RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion, one of the nation's largest energy producers, today will honor nine prominent African-Americans selected for their accomplishments and leadership through its 19th annual Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership educational series. Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine will be one of the speakers at the awards gala Thursday at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Richmond. "Preparing our youth for the challenges and opportunities of adulthood is vital to our future well-being," said Thomas F. Farrell II, Dominion chairman, president and chief executive officer. "The leaders we honor have set examples of leadership, integrity and citizenship, and it is Dominion's honor to recognize these outstanding individuals." Strong Men & Women highlights the accomplishments of selected African-American role models and tells their stories in an educational series distributed in February during Black History Month. More than 20,000 sets of learning materials are sent to schools and libraries in northeastern North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The 2009 honorees are: -- Sister Cora Marie Billings, RSM, first African-American nun pastoral coordinator in United States, Richmond, Va. -- Matthew Guidry, Ph.D., retired deputy director-External Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Upper Marlboro, Md. -- Rear Admiral Michelle J. Howard, first African-American woman to command a U.S. naval ship, Springfield, Va. -- Leland D. Melvin, U.S. astronaut, Shuttle Atlantis, Lynchburg, Va. -- Eddie N. Moore Jr., twelfth president of Virginia State University, first African-American treasurer of Virginia, Petersburg, Va. -- *Frederick R. Nance, regional managing partner, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, Cleveland, Ohio -- *The Honorable Vel R. Phillips, first woman and first African-American Wisconsin secretary of state, Milwaukee, Wis. -- Dianne Reynolds-Cane, M.D., first African-American woman president of the Virginia Board of Medicine, Richmond, Va. -- *The Honorable Michael R. White, longest-serving mayor of Cleveland, Ohio *Attending the Cleveland, Ohio, ceremony Feb. 5. High school juniors and seniors in North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia participated in the Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership student writing contest. The students were invited to write essays about an African-American leader featured in the Strong Men & Women series. Winners receive a laptop, and their schools each receive a $1,000 cash award. This year's essay winners are: -- Catherine Dominic SuccessTech Academy Cleveland, Ohio -- Katharine Kelley Sebring McKinley High School Sebring, Ohio -- Zachary B. Miller Buckeye High School Medina, Ohio -- Krupa Patel Frank W. Cox High School Virginia Beach, Va. -- Grace Segars Grace Christian High School Staunton, Va. -- Risham Tariq J.E.B. Stuart High School Fairfax County, Va. -- Tasha Tucker Lloyd C. Bird High School Chesterfield, Va. More information about Strong Men & Women can be found on at http://www.dom.com/, keyword "strong." A graphic image of the individuals being honored is available at http://www.dom.com/about/education/strong/2009/images/2009_lg.jpg Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 27,000 megawatts of generation. Dominion serves retail energy customers in 12 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com/. DATASOURCE: Dominion CONTACT: Daisy Pridgen of Dominion, +1-804-771-6115, Web Site: http://www.dom.com/

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