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WHITE HAT MANAGEMENT'S JOHN MORRIS RECEIVES HUMANITARIAN AWARD
March 25, 2003 — Akron, OH — John Morris, President & CEO of Akron-based White Hat Management, has been awarded the 2003 Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian in Education Award recognizing his outstanding achievements impacting the community.
Mr. Morris, whose background includes the areas of manufacturing and international trade as well as education, was among a select group of educators to receive the award this year. More specifically, he was recognized for his untiring dedication to educational programs that reach out to both disenfranchised children in kindergarten through eighth grade, teens and young adults who have or are at-risk of dropping out of high school.
According to Reverend Andrew K. Newberry, senior pastor of the St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Harold K. Stubbs Award was established in 1991 by his church to recognize individuals who, like Harold K. Stubbs, have been actively involved in activities that serve the community.
Mr. Morris, a founding employee of White Hat Management, participated in the startup of the company in 1998 and was a key contributor to the establishment of vouchers and the first charter schools in Cleveland. His untiring efforts have provided inner city families trapped in poorly performing public schools the opportunity for real academic growth without the need to relocate. Mr. Morris continues to champion issues that affect the lives of thousands of Ohio children and parents who would otherwise have been ignored.
Morris received his Bachelor's degree in education from Central State University in Ohio and a business administration degree from Governor's State University in Illinois. Prior to joining White Hat Management, Mr. Morris was the Human Resource Director for Markets International, an international consulting agency doing business primarily in the Caribbean. His educational background includes teaching at both the elementary and collegiate levels.
White Hat Management, the largest charter school operator in Ohio, was founded in 1998 by Akron industrialist and education activist David Brennan. It is among the premier, full-service education management organizations (EMO) in the United States dedicated to educating K-12 students. White Hat operates three types of schools: Life Skills Centers, which serve at-risk and dropout youth ages 16 to 22; HOPE Academies, which are K-8 community-based charter public schools; and the OHDELA Academy, which provides distance education services. The company currently employs more than 850 people, including more than 800 teachers, staff and administrators. For more information, visit www.whitehatmgmt.com.