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WHITE HAT MANAGEMENT TO OPEN CHARTER SCHOOLS IN FLORIDA;
HIRES DR. WOOLEY-BROWN TO LAUNCH SERVICES FOR HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS & DISTANCE LEARNING
AKRON, OHIO, February 9, 2004 - White Hat
Management, LLC, a national education services provider (ESP), will open
charter schools in Florida for high school dropouts and offer statewide
distance-learning programs. Dr. Cathy Wooley-Brown, a noted educator,
has been hired to open and run the schools, as executive director of
Florida operations and initiatives, company executives said today.
"Florida is looking to solve its high school dropout problem and we have
a method that's been successful in turning dropouts lives around," said
David Brennan, founder of White Hat Management, and a national advocate
for education reform.
To address the dropout problem in Florida, White Hat Management, under
Dr. Wooley-Brown's direction, will open Life Skills Centers,
tuition-free public charter schools. These schools help students who
have dropped out of high school, or are at risk of dropping out of high
school, earn a state-recognized high school diploma and secure
employment. The program also helps students address social and financial
circumstances that may hinder academic, vocational, and/or personal
success.
"Traditional high schools are not for everyone," said Mark Thimmig, CEO
and president of White Hat Ventures LLC, parent company of Akron-based
White Hat Management, LLC, the privately operated education service
provider engaged to operate the Life Skills Centers. "We provide quality
education that fits people's lives. Dr. Wooley-Brown's passion for
helping kids who don't have an advocate or voice made her the perfect
fit for expanding into Florida."
In addition to the proposed Life Skills Centers, Dr. Wooley-Brown will
also assist with the setup and development of White Hat's statewide
distance-learning initiative, for parents who wish to educate their
children at home.
"We believe distance learning is the future of education," said Thimmig.
"The state of Florida has taken a leadership role in distance learning,
and we're excited that Dr. Wooley-Brown will help us engage this
exciting educational alternative."
In her new role, Dr. Wooley-Brown will report to Thimmig and will be
responsible for all Florida school development initiatives, and will
oversee the operations of White Hat schools in Florida. White Hat
Management will be opening offices in Tampa, Florida.
"I am delighted and proud to join the White Hat Management team. I have
seen firsthand how the Life Skills Centers have saved kids' lives," said
Dr. Wooley-Brown. "I see this as an opportunity to really make a
difference for the students and parents of Florida."
Dr. Wooley-Brown is a well-known charter advocate in Florida. She was
formerly the director of the Florida Charter School Resource Center at
the University of South Florida. Prior to that, she was the
administrator of curriculum and instruction, the director of student
education and gifted programs, a curriculum specialist, and a special
education teacher for the Polk County School Board.
She has done post-doctoral work at Harvard University in educational
reform and holds Ph.D, Ed.S., master's, and bachelor's degrees from the
University of South Florida. She has authored a number of publications
to assist charter schools, including chapters in the recently released
"Charter School Landscape," and "Rethinking Professional Issues in
Special Education."
White Hat Management currently operates 19 Life Skills Centers
nationwide serving 8,000 students in Ohio, Arizona and Colorado. Life
Skills Centers are publicly funded charter schools where students
between the ages of 16 and 22 can earn a state-recognized high school
diploma, and receive guidance for career and family issues.
White Hat Management's distance learning school, the Ohio Distance and
Electronic Learning Academy, currently educates 2,200 students in
grades K-12 throughout the state of Ohio. After enrollment, OHDELA
places a computer with Internet access in the student's home, provides a
K-12 customized curriculum, offers educational assistance from master
teaches and online tutors, all tuition free.
For media information contact:
The Dilenschneider Group
200 Park Avenue, 26th Floor
New York, NY 10166
Fred Bona
(239) 992 0461
or
Pam Snook
(212) 922 0900