Retired BellSouth executive receives business ethics award; former first lady keynote speaker

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

ATLANTA – Former first lady Laura Bush was the keynote speaker as retired BellSouth Telecommunications Chairman and CEO B. Franklin “Frank” Skinner received this year’s Blanchard Award for Outstanding Stewardship and Ethics in Business. The award ceremony was held Monday during the 5^th Annual Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum in Columbus.

“We are honored to recognize Frank Skinner as this year’s Blanchard Award recipient,” said Georgia Lottery Corp. President and CEO Margaret DeFrancisco, who served as chair of the originating board of the Blanchard Award. “From his distinguished professional achievements to his leadership efforts in the community, Mr. Skinner serves as a standard bearer for ethics in business and corporate responsibility.”

Thousands of business and civic leaders across Georgia were invited to nominate candidates for the statewide award, which is sponsored by the Georgia Lottery, Georgia Trend magazine and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

The award was presented first in 2009 to Columbus banker and civic leader James H. Blanchard. Known since then by the name of its first recipient, the award recognizes outstanding stewards of business and corporate responsibility for success in these areas.

Accompanied by a $25,000 scholarship to a graduate student, the Blanchard Award also demonstrates the need for business support of education at all levels in Georgia.

Since its first year, the Georgia Lottery Corp. has returned more than $11.9 billion to the state of Georgia for education. All Georgia Lottery profits go to pay for specific educational programs, including Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship Program and Georgia’s Pre-K Program. More than 1.25 million students have received HOPE, and more than 1 million 4-year-olds have attended the statewide, voluntary prekindergarten program.

For more information on the Georgia Lottery Corp., please visit:

www.galottery.com

Tandi Reddick
Media Relations Manager

P 404.215.5062
F 404.215.8983
media [at] galottery [dot] org

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