Celebrities, CEOs, Elected Officials and Professional Athletes to Be 'Shadowed' by Junior Achievement Students

High school students across the country will have access to elite executive boardrooms and even an NHL locker room today, when they participate in JA Worldwide's (Junior Achievement's) National Job Shadow Day, sponsored by ING. Two major city mayors, a couple of CEOs, a restaurateur and several television personalities are among the VIPs who have agreed to be "shadowed" by the teenagers to introduce them to the various careers awaiting them.

"ING is committed to education and ensuring youths have every opportunity to achieve their full potential," says Rhonda Mims, president of the ING Foundation. "That's why ING is proud to once again be sponsoring Junior Achievement's National Job Shadow Day. It gives students the chance to visit with leading business executives and entrepreneurs so that they will aspire to succeed."

Job Shadow Day, held every year on Groundhog Day, is the first of thousands of "shadowing" events throughout the year in which teenage Junior Achievement students follow workplace mentors as they go through a normal day on the job. The program invites students to see firsthand how the skills learned in school relate to the workplace.

"Junior Achievement is grateful for ING's ongoing support of Job Shadow Day," said Jack E. Kosakowski, executive vice president and chief operating officer of JA Worldwide. "Job Shadowing, along with all of Junior Achievement's other K-12 programs, helps make students 'work ready' by showing them the relevance of their classroom lessons, and provides them with skills such as leadership and problem-solving, to help them succeed in business and in life."

For this year's Job Shadow Day, numerous elected officials, business executives, celebrities and professional athletes in ten major cities have agreed to be shadowed. They include Miami Mayor Manuel "Manny" Diaz, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, CNBC host and advertising executive Donny Deutsch, television personality, restaurateur and entrepreneur B. Smith, actress and philanthropist Victoria Rowell, ABC financial correspondent Mellody Hobson, the Dallas Stars, Boston restaurateur Mark D'Alessandro and premier sports management company BDA Sports. A complete list is below.

One of the highlights of JA's Job Shadow Day will be a visit to New York City's famed Wall Street for the ringing of the NYSE's Closing Bell. Several Junior Achievement students will be joining ING executives to ring the bell and close the market for the week. The students will also be taken on a tour of the floor to learn how stocks are traded.

  Here is a list of VIPs participating in National Job Shadow Day:

  NEW YORK
   - B. Smith - lifestyle expert, restaurateur, TV host and entrepreneur
   - Donny Deutsch - Chairman, Deutsch Inc. and TV host
   - Paul Cothran - Executive Director of VH1 Save The Music Foundation

  LOS ANGELES
   - Victoria Rowell - actress and philanthropist
   - Tyrese - actor, singer, and model
   - BDA Sports - a premier sports management company whose clients include
     Yao Ming and Steve Nash
   - Councilwoman Wendy Greuel - President Pro Tempore of the Los Angles
     City Council (Shadowing on Wednesday, January 31, 2007)

  CHICAGO
   - Mellody Hobson - President of Ariel Capital Management
   - Shawn Baldwin - Chairman & CEO Capital Management Group

   MIAMI
   - Mayor Manuel "Manny" Diaz
   - Melvin Roane - Director of Development, Alonzo Mourning Charities

  WASHINGTON, D.C.
   - Gene Robinson - Washington Post columnist
   - Cheri Carter - Executive Director of the PBS Foundation

  DALLAS
   - Dallas Stars (NHL)
     (Shadowing on Monday, February 5, 2007)

  ATLANTA
   - Dr. Eddra Marchand - author and physician
     (Shadowing on Thursday, February 1, 2007)

  HOUSTON
   - Diedra Fontaine - Director of Sales Development, Continental Airlines
   - The office of State Senator Rodney Ellis

  BOSTON
   - Craig Tornberg - General Manager of The New England Revolution (MLS)
   - Mark D'Alessandro - Director of Operations, Commonwealth Restaurant
     Group (Mistral, Sorellina, Teatro, and The Federalist)

  PHOENIX
   - Mayor Phil Gordon

  SAN FRANCISCO
   - Chris Larsen - CEO and co-founder of Prosper.com
   - Eric Jaye - founder of Storefront Political Media
     (Shadowing on Monday, February, 5, 2007)

  About JA Worldwide™ (Junior Achievement)

JA Worldwide is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a dedicated volunteer network, JA Worldwide provides in-school and after-school programs for students in grades K-12. JA Worldwide offers educational programs that focus on seven key content areas: business, citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics/character, financial literacy, and career development. Today, 140 individual area operations reach approximately four million students in the United States, with more than 3.5 million students served by operations in 100 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.

About ING

ING Group is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management to more than 60 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of more than 115,000 people, ING comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under the ING brand.

ING is a leader in providing 403(b) plans to educators in K-12 and higher education, and other employees of nonprofit organizations in America. In the U.S., ING offers a comprehensive array of financial services to retail and institutional clients that includes retirement plans, mutual funds, managed accounts, alternative investments, direct banking, institutional investment management, annuities, life insurance, employee benefits, financial planning, and reinsurance. Currently, ING holds top-tier rankings in key U.S. markets and serves more than 14 million customers across the nation. For more information, visit www.ing.com.

SOURCE: ING

CONTACT: Kathy King of Westin Rinehart, +1-202-466-1396, or
kathy@westinrinehart.com, for ING; or Caroline Campbell of ING,
+1-212-309-5931, or caroline.campbell@us.ing.com

Web site: http://www.ing.com/
http://www.ja.org/