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Anousheh Ansari Named 2011 Horatio Alger Award Recipient
Co-Founder and CEO of Prodea Systems, Inc. to be Inducted this Spring for Overcoming Adversity

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2011 – The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is pleased to announce that Anousheh Ansari, co-founder and CEO of Prodea Systems, Inc. and spaceflight participant in the Russian Space Program, will receive the 2011 Horatio Alger Award in recognition of her personal and professional success despite humble and challenging beginnings.

Ansari will be formally inducted into the association when she accepts the Horatio Alger Award on April 8, 2011, in Washington, D.C. Recipients of the award have overcome great adversity to achieve admirable accomplishments, to serve as examples of achieving the American Dream, and to offer countless hours and resources to help others in need.

“We are pleased to induct Anousheh Ansari into the Horatio Alger Association and pay tribute to her success in the face of hardship,” said Tony Novelly, president and CEO, Horatio Alger Association. “The 2011 members are extraordinary role models of strength, resolve and achievement and will help to continue our mission of helping young people achieve similar success.”

Anousheh Ansari was born in 1966 in Mashhad, Iran. When the Iranian Revolution took place, she was only 13 years old. Consequently, her family immigrated to the Springfield, Virginia in 1984. Ansari earned a bachelor’s degree in electronics and computer engineering from George Mason University and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from The George Washington University.

In 1993, Ansari co-founded Telecom Technologies, Inc. with her husband and brother-in-law. The company earned recognition as one of Inc. magazine’s 500 fastest-growing companies. In 2000, the company was acquired by Sonus Networks, Inc. but kept Ansari as general manager and vice president of the Softswitch division. In 2006, Ansari, along with her husband and brother-in-law, launched Prodea Systems, where she serves as the company’s CEO. That same year, Ansari became the first female private space explorer, the first astronaut of Iranian descent, the first Muslim woman and the fourth private explorer to visit space.

Ansari has received many honors – including the George Mason University Entrepreneurial Excellence Award and the first Symons Innovator Award, which honors successful women entrepreneurs in technology. Ansari and her family provided the Ansari X Prize, a $10 million cash award for the first non-governmental organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks. That feat was accomplished in 2004. The success of the X Prize competition launched a new era in private space exploration.

Ansari will be honored among 11 other remarkable individuals who will receive the 2011 award for their hard work, self-reliance and perseverance:

• Roger Eugene Ailes, Chairman and CEO, FOX News and Chairman,  Fox Television Stations Group
• Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor, City of New York and Founder and Owner,Bloomberg, L.P.
• Leonardo DiCaprio, Actor and Film Producer
• Frederic V. Malek, Founder and Chairman, Thayer Lodging Group
• Harry S. Patten, Founder, Chairman and CEO, National Land Partners, LLC and Inland Management
• Josue “Joe” Robles Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer, United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
• James E. “Jim” Rohr, Chairman and CEO, PNC Financial Services Group (PNC Bank)
• Glenn Stearns, Chairman and Owner, Stearns Corporation
• Byron David Trott, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer, BDT Capital Partners, LLC
• Rick Waugh, President, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Scotiabank (International Award Recipient–Canada)
• Herbert A. “Herbie” Wertheim, Chairman and CEO, Brain Power, Inc., Chairman, Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation, and Founding Chairman, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine Florida International University

In addition, the 2011 Norman Vincent Peale Award will be presented to Doré Energy Corporation President William J. Doré. The Norman Vincent Peale Award is annually conferred on an association member who has made exceptional humanitarian contributions to society, who has been an active participant in the association, and who continues to exhibit courage, tenacity and integrity in the face of great challenges. The award is named in honor of Dr. Peale, who has been an outstanding leader of the association for more than 40 years. 

The 2011 members will receive their awards at the 2011 Horatio Alger Awards Induction Ceremonies in Washington, D.C. Activities include three days of meetings and celebrations in some of the nation’s most historic buildings. The Horatio Alger National Scholars, remarkable high school seniors who have excelled despite adversity, also will be formally honored during the three-day gathering.

A complete list of all of the Horatio Alger Members can be found at http://www.horatioalger.org/members.cfm.

About The Horatio Alger Association
Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans continues to fulfill its mission of honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals in our society who have succeeded in spite of adversity and of encouraging young people to pursue their dreams through higher education. The Horatio Alger Association offers three annual scholarship programs: the National Scholarship Program, state scholarship programs, and graduate grants. The association will have awarded more than $87 million in scholarships through 2012 to at-risk students determined to earn college degrees. The association is a Combined Federal Campaign participant; # 77062. For more information, please visit www.horatioalger.org

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