Former Verizon Executive Receives 2004 Private Sector Champion Award

Press Release: For Immediate Release

For more information contact:

Beth Cherry Adibi, Director of Marketing
Consortium for School Networking
202/861-2676, ext. 120
beth@cosn.org

Charlene Blohm
C. Blohm & Associates, Inc.
210/656-2324
charlene@cblohm.com

The Consortium for School Networking Honors Steve Kohn of Kirkland, Washington

Washington, DC (March 3, 2004) - The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) today awarded Steve Kohn, Kirkland, Wash., the 2004 Private Sector Champion Award.

CoSN annually honors an individual who best exemplifies the Spirit of the Education technology community as the year's unsung hero. The award was presented this morning during CoSN's 2004 K-12 School Networking Conference.

Steve Kohn, formerly in charge of Strategic Alliances for Education & Disability Initiatives for Verizon, has been actively involved in technology and education in several different capacities. He helped found Organizations Concerned About Rural Education (OCRE) and provided the ongoing critical support to create the Education & Library National Coalition (EdLiNC), the broad-based coalition in support of the E-rate.

In addition, Kohn served as a long-standing Board Member for the United States Distance Learning Association, Triangle Coalition for Math and Science, National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training, and New York University's Metro Center. He also has been a member of CoSN's Board of Directors and has been an avid supporter of the organization.

"Steve Kohn has dedicated an enormous amount of time and energy to supporting CoSN and other initiatives that coincide with our mission," said Keith R. Krueger, CEO of CoSN. "It is the behind-the-scenes support from corporate leaders like Steve that has made possible the successful creation and implementation of the E-rate."

One of Kohn's particular passions is video conferencing in education, which prompted him to team with Stan Silverman at the New York Institute for Technology to build the Education Enterprise Zone, a national confederation between museums, cultural entities and schools. In recent years, he is credited with bridging the disability and the technology communities during his tenure at Verizon.

Prior recipients of the Private Sector Champion Award include Kathy Hurley, vice president, education industry affairs at PLATO Learning, Jeanne Hayes, president of Quality Education Data (QED), and Dr. Jenny House, formerly vice president of strategic relations at Classroom Connect. For more information about the award and its recipients, visit www.cosn.org/about/awards/industry.cfm.

About the Annual K-12 School Networking Conference

The K-12 School Networking Conference is the premier event for education leaders to examine the future of the Internet and education technologies in the classroom. More than 500 district, state and national education technology leaders will attend the conference.

The 9th Annual K-12 School Networking Conference, Personalization & Empowerment: No Child Left Behind and Technology, addresses the increasing emphasis on ensuring that classroom interventions impact achievement. Educators will analyze the capabilities of technological tools and how technology can be leveraged to meet the learning needs of all individual students.

Visit www.k12schoolnetworking.org for more detailed program and registration information.

About the Consortium for School Networking

Founded in 1992, CoSN, a national nonprofit organization, is the premier voice in educational technology leadership. Its mission is to advance the K-12 education community's capacity to effectively use technology to improve learning through advocacy, policy and leadership development. CoSN members represent school districts, state and local education agencies, nonprofits, companies and individuals who share this vision.

CoSN leadership initiatives include: Cyber Security for the Digital District (www.securedistrict.org); Data-Driven Decision Making (www.3d2know.org); Safeguarding the Wired Schoolhouse (www.safewiredschools.org); Taking Total Cost of Ownership to the Classroom (www.classroomtco.org); and the development of the Council of School District Chief Technology Officers (CTO).

Visit www.cosn.org or phone 202/861-2676 to find out more about CoSN's programs and activities that support leadership development to ensure that information technology has a direct and positive impact on student learning in elementary and secondary schools.

Editor's note: For additional information or to coordinate interviews, contact Charlene Blohm at 210/602-1444 (mobile).