Washington, DC (September 20, 2006)-  THE NATIONAL URBAN TECHNOLOGY CENTER CELEBRATES ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARYBY HONORING THREE D.C. TRAILBLAZERS AT GALA BENEFIT

The Achievements of Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, The Honorable Alphonso Jackson and Dr. Carol Nacy Are Celebrated At Event.

The National Urban Technology Center, which was founded to provide access to technology, life skills and academic proficiency to our most disadvantaged youth, announced today the names of the three Washington D.C. pioneers who will be honored at the 10th anniversary gala benefit themed “A Time for Leadership.”  The National Urban Technology Center’s founder and President, Patricia Bransford, revealed that the extraordinary achievements and community leadership of Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, The Honorable Alphonso Jackson and Dr. Carol Nacy, will be recognized by Hugh B. Price, Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution and former President, National Urban League at this event.  The gala has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 20th at 6:30 p.m. at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Washington.  The evening will be hosted by star comedian and actor Richard Kind.  Motown recording artist Mya will also make a special appearance.

Dr. Jackson, President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has opened doors with many firsts in her career  After graduating the District’s renowned Roosevelt High School as valedictorian in 1964, Dr. Jackson went on to become the first African-American woman to receive a PhD from MIT.  She was the first woman and the first African-American to serve as the chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and now the first African-American woman to lead a national research university.  The Honorable Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, has served in the public sector for over 20 years and is an authority on public housing and urban issues.  Dr. Nacy, President and CEO of Sequella Inc., is an accomplished scientist, experienced biotech executive, and a successful entrepreneur.  Her firm has received over $100 million in grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to stem the spread of tuberculosis in our poorest communities.

“We’re proud to honor these amazing individuals who have dedicated their careers to ‘closing the gap’ in delivery of services to families in need,” said Patricia Bransford.  “One of the main goals of The National Urban Technology Center is to inspire young students to recognize that with education, all is possible and that they too can make a difference in their communities, their nation and the world,” she added. 

The National Urban Technology Center which was established in 1995 by Patricia Bransford, was developed to give urban communities a technology advantage and improve educational and economic opportunity for America’s disadvantaged youth.  Since the birth of this organization, The National Urban Technology Center has been able to encourage youth to re-engage in school with their web-based interactive curriculum, while making strides in reducing drop-rates nationwide.

Proceeds of the gala benefit will go towards funding The National Urban Technology Center’s Computer Training Centers and their Youth Leadership Academy curriculum.

About Patricia Bransford:
Patricia Bransford is the Founder and President of the National Urban Technology Center. Before Ms. Bransford founded Urban Tech, she worked in technology for 20 years at IBM.  Ms. Bransford started Urban Tech in order to give low-income communities a technology advantage and improve the skills of disadvantaged individuals by providing state-of-the-art hardware and software, computer curriculum and courseware and teacher training.  She has authored several educational texts that demonstrate the potential of using innovative technologies to engage students who are the hardest to reach and improve educational options for all children.  In addition to her leadership at Urban Tech, she received the Beacon Award by the Morehouse and Spelman New York University Alumni Scholarship Fund in honor of her distinguished accomplishments and work in disadvantaged communities and the Granville T. Woods award, given by the National Association of Black Telecommunications Professionals to "the outstanding CEO of a corporation with the greatest impact in the community."  Ms. Bransford has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. and attended the Executive MBA Program at the N.Y.U. Stern School of Business Administration.

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