Kernohan 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 Erin for her positive impact on student achievement at Cincinnati Public Schools,” said John F. Barrett, Western & Southern’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “Recognizing educators like Erin and preparing young people for the future is a focus of Western & Southern in its efforts to help make Cincinnati the best place to live, work and enjoy life.”
“Erin excels at instilling in her students a love for learning and desire to achieve, and she is truly deserving of this award,” said Laura Mitchell, superintendent of CPS. “We thank Western & Southern for honoring Erin and commend all of the educators who were nominated.”
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.
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 ($54 billion) and managed ($25.3 billion) totaled $79.3 billion as of Mar. 31, 2019. Western & Southern is one of the strongest life insurance groups in the world. Its seven life insurance subsidiaries (The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company, Western-Southern Life Assurance Company, Columbus Life Insurance Company, Gerber Life Insurance Company, Integrity Life Insurance Company, The Lafayette Life Insurance Company and National Integrity Life Insurance Company) maintain very strong financial ratings. Other member companies include Eagle Realty Group, LLC; Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Inc.;1 IFS Financial Services, Inc.; Touchstone Advisors, Inc.;1 Touchstone Securities, Inc.;2 W&S Brokerage Services, Inc.;2 and W&S Financial Group Distributors, Inc. Western & Southern is the title sponsor of six major community events every year, including the Western & Southern Open, 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.
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