Western & Southern Financial Group (Western & Southern) has announced that Belinda Wallace, principal for Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) at Rockdale Academy, has been named the 2017 Dr. Lawrence C. Hawkins Educator of the Year.
Wallace was chosen by Western & Southern and CPS from finalists who were nominated by their CPS peers for the award. She was recognized today with a plaque and a personal check for $10,000 during a ceremony at Western & Southern's Guilford Institute on its downtown campus.
"We are very pleased to recognize Belinda for advancing the quality of education at Cincinnati Public Schools," said John F. Barrett, Western & Southern's chairman, president and chief executive officer. "Recognizing educators like Belinda and preparing young people for the future is a focus of Western & Southern in its efforts to help make Cincinnati great."
Belinda has been employed with CPS for 20 years, serving as the principal of Rockdale Academy for eight years.
"Demonstrating outstanding leadership and effectiveness, Belinda is truly deserving of the Dr. Lawrence C. Hawkins Educator of the Year Award, a recognition that exemplifies educators' passion for their work," said Mary Ronan, superintendent of CPS. "We thank Western & Southern for honoring Belinda and commend all of the educators who were nominated — that in and of itself is an honor."
Western & Southern established the Dr. Lawrence C. Hawkins Educator of the Year Award in 2007 to inspire and reward excellence among CPS educators. This distinguished award honors one educator each year who has elevated the educational process in public schools to an exceptional level through personal commitment, dedicated focus and outstanding results. The namesake of the award, Dr. Lawrence C. Hawkins, was a member of the elite Tuskegee Airmen, a well-respected Cincinnati educator, former executive vice president of administration at the University of Cincinnati and former Western & Southern board member. He passed away in 2009.
For more information on the Dr. Lawrence C. Hawkins Educator of the Year Award, visit www.westernsouthern.com/about/community-impact/hawkins-educator-of-the-year-award.
About Western & Southern Financial Group
Founded in Cincinnati in 1888 as The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company, Western & Southern Financial Group, Inc. (Western & Southern), a Fortune 500 company, is now the parent company of a group of diversified financial services businesses. Its assets owned ($47.2 billion) and managed ($22.3 billion) total $69.5 billion as of Sept 30, 2017. Western & Southern is one of the strongest life insurance groups in the world. Its six life insurance subsidiaries (The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company, Western-Southern Life Assurance Company, Columbus Life Insurance Company, Integrity Life Insurance Company, The Lafayette Life Insurance Company and National Integrity Life Insurance Company) maintain very strong financial ratings and a Comdex Ranking of 96. Other member companies include Eagle Realty Group, LLC; Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Inc.¹ IFS Financial Services, Inc.; Peppertree Partners LLC¹; Touchstone Advisors, Inc.¹; Touchstone Securities, Inc.²; W&S Brokerage Services, Inc.²; and W&S Financial Group Distributors, Inc. For more information on the Western & Southern family of companies, visit www.westernsouthern.com. Western & Southern is the title sponsor of the Western & Southern Open (www.wsopen.com), a premier event in the U.S. Open Series played each August by the world's top-ranked professional male and female tennis players.
1 A registered investment advisor.
2 A registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/SIPC.
For current ratings, please visit www.westernsouthern.com/about/financial-information/financial-ratings.
About Cincinnati Public Schools
Cincinnati Public Schools offers families more high-quality school choices and academic programs than any other district in the Tristate region. CPS is a leader among Ohio's eight large-city school districts in overall student performance. The district's innovative approach to education, investment in effective and caring teachers, and vast array of collaborative partnerships have accelerated school performance to the highest level in decades – ensuring that its 35,000 students in preschool to grade 12 thrive and graduate prepared to lead successful lives in the 21st century. CPS operates 56 schools spread across 90 square miles. To learn more, visit cps-k12.org.
