ING U.S. Honors Excellence in Education as Co-sponsor of National Teacher of the Year

NEW YORK, April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ING U.S. is marking its ninth year as co-sponsor of the National Teacher of the Year, a project by the Council of Chief State School Officers. ING U.S. joins in celebrating Jeff Charbonneau, a 9^th-12^th grade Chemistry, Physics and Engineering teacher in Zillah, Wash., as the 63^rd National Teacher of the Year. Charbonneau, along with the 2013 State Teachers of the Year, will be recognized by President Barack Obama in a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday, April 23, 2013.

"It is an honor to once again sponsor this program, which gives deserved recognition to those educating and tapping into our children's potential," said Rhonda Mims, president of the ING Foundation and senior vice president of ING U.S.'s office of Corporate Responsibility. "ING congratulates Jeff Charbonneau on this distinction and the other state winners for their commitment to children across the country."

Charbonneau teaches at Zillah High School (ZHS) in Zillah, Wash., where he has spent his entire 11-year teaching career. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and was a member of the William O. Douglas Honors College at Central Washington University, and holds a Master of Education from Central Washington University. He is a National Board-Certified teacher. He has received numerous awards, among them being various business donations and grants totalling more than $25,000 to support the ZHS Robot Challenge, of which he is founder and director.

ING U.S.'s commitment to children and education extends beyond the National Teacher of the Year program. Through signature programs — such as ING Unsung Heroes®, ING-Girls Inc. Investment Challenge and ING Run for Something Better® — ING U.S. recognizes teachers for their innovation, ensures young girls are exposed to basic money-management skills and offers schools a solution to help combat childhood obesity.

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ING U.S.                                                                              
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About ING U.S.

ING U.S., which plans to rebrand in the future as Voya Financial, constitutes the U.S.-based retirement, investment and insurance businesses of Netherlands-based ING Groep N.V. Through the ING U.S. family of companies, we serve the financial needs of approximately 13 million individual and institutional customers with a comprehensive array of products and services, including retirement plans, IRA rollovers and transfers, stable value, institutional investment management, mutual funds, alternative investments, life insurance, employee benefits, fixed and indexed annuities and financial planning. Our dedicated workforce of more than 7,000 employees is focused on ING U.S.'s mission to guide Americans on their journey to greater retirement readiness and to help make a secure financial future possible — one person, one family and one institution at a time.  For more information, visit http://ing.us.

SOURCE ING U.S.