June 1, 2010

Contact: Jack Koczela 202.244.1062

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Woodrow Wilson High School Class of 1970
Announces 2010 Recipient of the
Vincent E. Reed Award for Excellence in Teaching

Washington, DC – Tuesday June 1, 2010: Members of the Woodrow Wilson High School Class of 1970 have announced the recipient of the 2010 Vincent E. Reed Award for Excellence in Teaching, Ms. Lori Anne Williams.

Ms. Williams has been teaching music in District of Columbia schools since 1995, the last five years at Woodrow Wilson High School, Washington DC’s largest comprehensive and most diverse public high school. She is a highly skilled vocalist who earned the 2007 Superintendent's Arts Teacher of the Year Award, granted by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

Lori is the former Director of Programs for the Best Friends Foundation. From 1995 to 2000 she taught Music at Thomson Elementary School in Washington, DC. Currently Lori is the General Music Teacher, Director of Choirs, and past Music Department Chairperson at Wilson. Since coming to the school, she has shepherded her students to multiple performances and competitions, including competitions hosted at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. One of her colleagues has said, “She creates a positive atmosphere and keeps many students on track. A few even have said they would not have come to school without her [being there].”

A graduate of Hampton University (Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Media Arts), Lori is the lead vocalist for two Washington-based jazz ensembles (Lori Williams & Friends and Collaboration). She is enrolled at the University of the District of Columbia pursuing her Masters in Jazz Studies. She has conducted music workshops and directed numerous choirs in the US and abroad including the National Diamond Girls Jazz Choir (performing for the Inauguration Ceremony for President George Bush); the Sagamihara Christian Fellowship Gospel Choir (Japan); the Fort Foote Baptist Church Gospel Choir; and the Wilson High School Concert Choir (Silver Award Winners of the 2009 and 2010 National Heritage Festivals).

Ms. Williams has performed with many nationally-known recording artists such as Jerry Butler, Lloyd Price, Maysa, Tony Terry and The Blackbyrds. She also has done extensive studio recording, commercial work, musical theatre, and print modeling in the US and Japan. Lori has written over 30 licensed songs, two poetry books, and is recording her debut CD, "Healing Within," scheduled to be released in the fall of 2010.

Ms. Williams has won numerous awards and acclamations. Among them she has been:

• Recognized as an outstanding Music Teacher in the October 2000 issue of Teaching Music magazine.
• Recognized in the 2005 Premier Edition of Great Women of the 21st Century for professional dedication and commitment to communities.
• Recognized as a 2005-2006 National Honor Roll’s Outstanding American Teacher.
• Recognized in the 2007-2008 Edition of Who's Who in American Education.
• Nominated for the 2010 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Ensemble Member for her role in Cool Papa's Party.

Her affiliations include Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; BMI (songwriter/composer); WAMADC; The National Association for Female Executives; Kappa Tau Alpha; and District of Columbia Music Educators Association.

Ms. Williams lives by the creed that she shares daily with her students: "Words are powerful….speak wisely." Lori believes that her role as a teacher extends beyond the classroom. She wants to provide positive lessons applicable for the students today and for their future. Another colleague described her as, “An artist who brings her professionalism into the class every day. She is dedicated to her students and will do anything to help all of them excel.”

Daughter of Robert and Myrtle W. Williams, Lori Anne Williams is the proud mother of two talented and gifted children, Lauren Vanessa and Yusef Khalil.

The Vincent E. Reed Award for Excellence in Teaching was created in 2000 and is awarded each year to an outstanding faculty member at Woodrow Wilson High School. Reed Awards are made from the endowed account established by alumni from the Class of 1970 under the auspices of the Woodrow Wilson High School Parent Teacher Student Association. Vincent E. Reed, after whom the award is named, was Principal at Wilson (1968-69). He went on to become Superintendent of the District of Columbia Public Schools (1975-80) and Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education (1981), before finishing his distinguished career as an executive for The Washington Post.

The 2010 Reed Award will be presented to Ms. Williams at the Woodrow Wilson commencement exercises to be held on Friday, June 18, 2010 in the Bender Arena at The American University in Washington, DC.

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